A Broken Promise
by ShrimpFry
Summary: Sasuke wakes up from a two year coma to find that much has changed in Konoha. Nothing is as he remembered. Naruto has vanished, leaving behind only inexplicable traces and bloody memories. SLASH
1. Chapter 1

**A Broken Promise**

Summary: Sasuke wakes up from a two year coma to find that much has changed in Konoha. Nothing is as he remembered. Naruto has vanished, leaving behind only inexplicable traces and bloody memories. He returns in the wake of Sasuke's sentencing, as part of a darker scheme, and as something no one else had expected. SLASH. Takes place after the Kakashi Gaiden.

**_WARNING_**: Contains **slash **of various characters, dark themes, angst, and anything else my depraved mind can come up with. Also **SPOILERS**. **Takes place after the Battle at the End and the Kakashi Gaiden**, so anything up to that, and a bit after, is free for me to debase. I am ignoring the current Akatsuki based arc. Though some points and characters may arise, such as Sai and Yamato. **This is based on the _manga_**. If you don't read manga, or are not up to date, don't bother with reading this if you care about spoilers. I plan on thoroughly screwing around with the Naruto universe as I see fit, although I will try to keep the characters as IN-CHARACTER as possible. They may be a bit darker, but it should be expected with what will be going on. Further explaination will be posted at the end of this chapter. Please, for the love of everything, read my inane author's note. It's stupid, but I will only be posting such a long one once, and for good reason.

I will take no responsibility for scarring little innocent eyes if they continue to read this after I have covered my ass with these warnings. If anything bad happens to you, it's your own fault. So there.

**Chapter One: Exiled and Awakening**

Naruto swung his feet absentmindedly as he perched on the railing of a bridge. It overlooked an icy bubbling river that was deceptively deep. Though it seemed like one could see the smooth river stones of the bottom, it was actually an illusion cast by the unique way the river flowed and the sunlight reflecting off the surface. He was tempted, so very tempted, to just allow his body to slip, fall into that deceivingly calm, chill water. He wouldn't even fight it. His body would relax, and he would fade away, disappearing into its clear depths.

So easy. He marveled at how easy it was to die. But to keep living, ah, now that was the challenge. Living was the hardest part of life, to keep going, day after day. Life was a constant battle against death. Compared to that, giving up was child's play.

He sighed, turning his face upward. A light breeze ruffled his spiky, unruly, hair. Lazily, he stared at he passing clouds. They moved so slowly, at the whim of the wind. They reminded him of just a few years ago, laying in an open field with his close friends, just watching the clouds. Back then, they had so few cares, and their worries were petty. Back then, they could have innocent crushes, trivial arguments, and their fights were insignificant, meaningless, harmless.

It was all fun and games… Even if they didn't think so, even if they were dead serious about their battles, just how serious could they be…they were young, just kids.

They had suffered, some more than others. Many had much to cry about, others didn't understand, and some were misunderstood. They fought together and against each other. They made memories with each other.

It made Naruto so happy. He had a family with which to make memories, his small family in Konoha. It was a modest wish, but it would grow as much as his family did. He just wanted to be acknowledged, he wasn't even looking for love anymore. He knew, somehow, even as a tiny, lonely child, he knew he would never receive 'love' from the villagers he lived with. He decided he would settle for less. He set his sights on acknowledgment and decided he would work hard to be the best ninja Konohagakure had ever seen. He would win their respect if it was the last thing he did.

He sighed again, this time it was a sigh of long suffering. It seemed like he would have to put his dreams on the back burner for now. He was scheduled for exile.

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke was staring at a ceiling. It had taken him many minutes to determine that he was staring at the ceiling of Konoha's hospital. His vision had been blurry, and his eyes were sluggish, reluctant to focus after a long time of disuse. His throat was dry and parched. His limbs were hesitant to move as he bid. He had been here for quite some time he deduced. But for how long? A month? Two months? A year?

Memories returned to him slowly. At first only in flashes, quickly knitting together seamlessly. There was blood and pain...and for some reason, memories of rain and the clearest blue he could remember.

His eyes shifted to the machines which were quietly beeping beside him. One of them, which he assumed was his heart monitor, had steadily increased in rate. He would be receiving visitors very soon, he concluded.

-:- -:- -:-

"_Have you heard? That Uchiha boy is awake. They say the Hokage will be interrogating him soon."_

"_Poor boy. He was only doing what should have been done."_

"_I heard that he just about killed the beastie."_

"_It was that demon. He poisoned the minds of those young ninjas. You heard about them, all of the ninja's in _it's_ class made 'friends' with him."_

A mocking chuckle.

"_As if _it_ even knows or cares about friendship. It's a murderer, a monster."_

Sakura's hands slammed down on the counter with thundering force. Smiling sweetly, she placed a bouquet of brightly colored flowers on the counter for Ino to ring up, completely ignoring the gaggle of startled flower-shoppers she had just interrupted.

The blonde looked at her friend sympathetically. "Hey, Sakura, don't let them get to you." She comforted. "They're just ignorant fools who don't know what they're talking about."

Sakura shook her head. "No, I already know that. It's just…" Her fingers curled on the counter. "I'm so stupid, Ino. It wasn't until after he left that I could _hear_ it like I do now, the words that he heard every day. The insults, _everything_." She threw her hands up. "I was so cruel."

Ino frowned. She looked at the cash register. "You weren't the only one." She said softly. "None of us were exactly nice to him. We had other things on our minds. But, hey," she looked up and flashed her best friend a grin, "we were just kids then. It's not like we knew better."

Shooting the blonde a side-ways glance, Sakura's frown deepened. Her mind flashed to those who hadn't cared about what Naruto represented, but who he was. People like Iruka-sensei, Hinata, and even Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba. They all had the ability to look past things, not caring about what others said, but truly caring about other people regardless. It was something she could never be, and it saddened her. She was a shallow person, and a person like that wasn't worth very much to anyone.

She sighed and slid the money for the flowers over to Ino. Her friend merely shook her head, smiling. "It's on the house. You look like you have enough on your mind. Enough with the guilt-trip, okay? It's no one's fault. You can't keep blaming yourself." She wrapped yellow paper about the long stems of the flowers. Pulling out a thick, light blue ribbon, she tied it deftly about the bundle and presented it to her friend. "A nice selection you made, Sakura. I'm sure it'll brighten his day."

Sakura stared at the flowers. Actually, she had chosen the flowers at random, but seeing at how Ino had wrapped them, she was about ready to chuck the flowers away and maybe bring him a bundle of asparagus or something. It wouldn't do to be bringing up old, painful memories now. Sunflowers wrapped in yellow paper and a blue ribbon…what was she thinking?

As if reading her thoughts, Ino laid a gentle hand on Sakura's arm. The pink-haired shinobi looked up, slightly startled. Ino smiled. "Say 'hi' to him for me, will you?"

Sakura nodded almost dumbly, her mind elsewhere. Orange, yellow, and blue…

-:- -:- -:-

Quite a collection of people gathered in the small hospital room. The Hokage had come, flanked by the jounin, Kakashi and former classmates of the patient. Other jounins and chuunins waited outside the door. Some ANBU were present, and even a few genin. The nurses and doctors were going wild in panic. Too many people! They didn't want to over stimulate the patient. He might go into shock or something.

Tsunade didn't care. At this point she was beyond caring. She wanted answers, and unfortunately, she could only get them from said patient. Besides, being a medic-nin herself, she was well aware of what the 'patient' could and could not handle at the moment. However, the moment coal black eyes had focused upon her, she found herself being questioned.

"Where is Naruto?" His question was more of a croak, his vocal chords dry and hoarse.

Frowning, Tsunade ignored his question, suddenly realizing that a hospital room filled with friends, acquaintances, medical staff and other miscellaneous ninja was not the optimum location for an interrogation.

"Uchicha-san, you were found within the premises of Konoha, badly injured. Your chakra was almost completely drained, leaving you in a state of diminished and slow repair. We took you in and have had you hospitalized during the duration of your recovery. Once you have fully recovered, you will be submitted to Konoha's High Council for questioning and judgment for charges of crimes against Konohagakure. Do you understand these terms?" 

Her mouth moved robotically, reciting the orders written in Konoha's law scrolls. Unknown to them, she had perused them almost obsessively the moment Sasuke had reappeared. She knew she would have to be aware of every loophole possible in Konoha's law to be able to get what she wanted from the missing-nin.

Sasuke nodded his head slowly once the Hokage had finished.

Satisfied, Tsunade nodded back. "It is expected that you will need three more months stay in the hospital before you can be moved to temporary incarceration." _I can cut that time to less than a month if that stupid council would simply put the boy in my hands instead of the hospitals._ "In that time, your chakra will be bound. At it's current level, you have about enough to stay alive. Once the regeneration of your chakra has superceded the minimal requirement for your survival, it will be bound.

"Further more, when you regain use of your limbs, you will be limited to this floor of the hospital, and this alone. You will also be under constant guard, as well as two ANBU who will be with you, always. You may have guests, but they will be limited to one at a time, and only three per day. You will have no access to anything outside the walls of this hospital unless searched by appointed ANBU. Do you understand these terms?"

Another mute nod from the Uchiha.

"Good. I will be coming once a month to check on you until your appointed judgment date. I'll see you in thirty days." With that, Tsunade released an inaudible sigh. The easy part was over. Now for the hard part; leaving the boy without shaking the answers she wanted out of his limp form. She managed to steel herself away from pummeling the invalid into a nice bloody _guilty_ pulp, and turned to leave the room.

"Where is Naruto?" The question was repeated, no less hoarse or strained than before.

Tsunade had fully expected the Uchiha's attitude and inquiries when he regained consciousness, but she could not, in sound mind, answer him truthfully. If she had spoken to him in the manner that she wished to...well, she would have been acting in a most unHokage-like manner. So instead, she ignored the boy, and left the room as if he had never voiced his query.

Watching the Hokage leave, Sasuke turned his gaze upon the others in the room. He recognized many of them easily, but the one he was looking for, even if it was just a patch of blonde hair or a flash of bright blue he spotted, was missing. "Where is Naruto?" He questioned in that same even tone.

For a moment, no one moved. Then, Sakura pushed her way to the front, her bouquet of flowers hidden behind her back. "It's...been a long time, ne, Sasuke-kun?" She greeted nervously, a hint of amicability brushing her voice. A weak smile crossed her face. She was grasping thinly at familiarity with her former teammate, who was currently staring at her wordlessly. Her attempts did not go unnoticed.

Surprisingly, it was Shikamaru who stepped forward. He regarded the other boy lazily.

"Oi, Sasuke." The chuunin genius did not continue until he was sure that those flat coal eyes were focused on himself, and not the pink-haired kunoichi fiddling with flowers behind her back. "You've been gone a long time, and a lot of people have a lot questions. Some of them will probably want to hang you up by your feet, regardless of injury." Shikamaru turned his head, but to look at what, Sasuke couldn't see. "But, we're glad to have you back." Shikamaru finished succinctly. Then, with hands in his pockets, he retreated to the back of the room. Others swiftly filled in the spot by Sasuke's bed he had just vacated.

For a moment, dark eyes lingered on the spot the chuunin had previously occupied. He didn't allow himself to be fooled. The genius had tried to tell him something, allay something to him, but whatever it had been was far too subtle for him to have picked up upon in his sedated and exhausted state. Instead he decided to focus on his main point. "Where is Naruto." He asked pointedly to those in the room.

His visitors shifted nervously. Finally, Sakura sighed. Wordlessly, she picked up an empty vase that sat neglected and collecting dust in the corner of the room. Her green eyes trained on only what her hands did and on no one else in the room, she filled the vase with water from the sink in the adjoining bathroom. She arranged her wrapped sunflowers in the vase as neatly as she could and left the room.

Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed on the flowers. When the unsuspecting flora did not wilt beneath his gaze, he tore his eyes away from the brightly colored gift and scanned over the crowd. A flash of irritation crossed his face. Nameless faces littered his room. Those that he had been acquainted with were scattered about, but the bulk of his visitors were mostly people who would have known him by reputation only. They were worthless people. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to succumb to his fatigue. Perhaps when he awoke again, there would be fewer, or better yet, no people there at all. After all, there was only one person he truly wanted to see.

-:- -:- -:-

_Blood._

_It was everywhere. Red dripped from the ceilings, slithered down the walls in crimson rivulets. It was spattered across the doors, even spreading out from the hallway into the rooms._

_He had to cover his nose, the scent was so strong. Worse yet was the cold. There was a lack in the whole apartment, akin to a vacuum. The chill was as oppressive as the lack of feeling. He didn't like it._

_He was still tracking down the source of the blood. The longer it took, the more agitated he became. The sheer amount of blood was shocking. Fear crept in steadily as realization set in, a normal person would be dead. But _**he**_wasn't a _**normal**_person. Clinging to that belief, he steadily made his way deeper into the apartment._

White eyes blinked unseeingly. Neji stared at his ceiling. He lay on his back on his bed, sheets twisted and draping to the floor uncharacteristically of the usually neat Hyuuga. He did not feel like visiting the Uchiha. He had felt the other's chakra levels rise steadily and had been expecting the boy's awakening anytime. However, since then, crimson dreams had stained his sleep. He simply could not forgive the other for his many crimes, mostly affecting only one person in particular. He rolled over listlessly. Still…someone would have to tell the Uchiha about _him_.

Neji wondered, would the Uchiha even feel guilt? After staying with that serpent, could he even feel _pain_? If only the boy had not tried to leave Konoha, it never would have happened. But the Uchiha had, and one blonde had undeservingly paid the price. His mouth tightened. He hoped that the Uchiha could still feel pain. He had much to deliver to him.

-:- -:- -:-

Sakura shivered. Absently, she wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders. She wondered if she had done the right thing. She had left those terribly familiarly colored flowers by his bedside, then left. Of course she would return soon, it was just a matter of time. At the moment however, there were just too many people gathered to look at the Uchiha, well-wishers all of them.

She frowned. Naruto…when ever he was ever hospitalized, often with injuries far more severe and fatal than those that Sasuke had arrived with, not even a tenth of that number ever came to visit him. Naruto was reviled as a beast and monster, looked down upon and hated. He was alone for most of his memorable life, living a life nobody would have wanted, yet living anyways.

Sasuke was regarded as a hero. Sasuke was a _traitor_ to Konoha, yet none of the dense villagers would ever see that. They saw Uchiha heir and prodigy as only a product of tragedy. His family slaughtered, his only other living relative was classified as an S-ranked missing-nin. To top it off, he was 'contaminated' by the foul creature, the _demon_.

It wasn't fair. Naruto was none of those things! He never would be! Naruto had worked so hard. He had done everything in his power to earn the recognition of his peers and that of others. He never lost heart. He remained faithful to his own beliefs. His way of the ninja was one of the most heartfelt there ever would be. He was loyal to a fault and found it hard to see the bad in others. But instead of compassion for a boy who had **nothing**, but had given his **everything **to help others, his own village betrayed him.

She covered her face with her hands. She was so useless. She couldn't even help the people she loved. Stifling a sob, she made up her mind to visit Sasuke tomorrow in the morning. He certainly didn't deserve the chances he was given. They were all for Naruto's sake. For that reasoning, and the hope that Sasuke would finally understand the repercussions of his actions, she decided to tell him tomorrow. She would answer his question.

-:- -:- -:-

Tsunade angrily marched her way into the bar. She needed a drink. Damned if she was the Hokage! Damned if it was the middle of the day! She needed a drink, and she would get it if she had to crush the barley herself! The door flew off the hinges as she kicked it open, storming inside. She was startled to find Iruka, slumped over at a table. Half of his upper body lay on the table. He grasped a sake glass in one hand and loosely held the bottle in the other.

For a moment, the Hokage just gaped. Then coming to herself, she walked purposefully over to the inebriated chuunin.

"Iruka! What are you doing? DRUNK at THIS hour?" She demanded loudly.

Blearily, the chuunin just tilted his head to look at her. "'Okage-sama? What're you doing here? Too early to drink…" He slurred, blinking.

"Speak for yourself!" She snatched away his cup as the academy teacher drunkenly tried to bring the drink to his lips. She was appalled by the chuunin's actions. She never would have expected the normally responsible young man to act to rashly. "I'm getting you out of here and sobered up!"

She wrenched the liquor from the ninja's limp grasp and slung the man ungracefully over her shoulder. Quickly downing the contents of Iruka's bottle, she smacked her lips, enjoying the burn down her throat. She grinned at the barkeep. "Just put whatever he bought on my tab, and don't tell anyone that he was here, alright? It wouldn't look good of an instructor of Konoha's Ninja School to be caught totally plastered at this hour."

At the barkeep's understanding nod, Tsunade marched out, her burden already in a blissful, unconscious, drunken stupor. She sighed. Iruka…she knew he must be in pain. She suffered too, but she had her responsibilities as Hokage.

If only the younger man had told her that he had planned on drowning in a delightful sea of pain-numbing sake, she would have too happily joined him in the bar. Too bad that today had been the day that Sasuke had decided to regain consciousness. Too bad that today had marked the beginning of his sentencing and repentance for his crimes. Too bad that today people would celebrate…

"Iruka, you set a bad example for your students." She said quietly and without feeling to the unconscious man. "And, you're going to have a killer hang-over in the morning…" She added sympathetically.

Today was the anniversary of Naruto's exile.

-:- -:- -:-

Kakashi had watched the transpirings in silence. Somehow, he couldn't find anything to say, even to joke about. Listlessly, he had meandered across Konoha, his hands tucked absently away into his pockets. Purely by coincidence he had managed a peek at the slow, quiet suffering of the former genins so familiar to him.

Sakura had been struggling with a dilemma which she had grimly made a decision for. Shikamaru and Chouji had left the hospital for the soft-sloping hill they would so often be found resting upon. Though they both were laying on their backs staring at the clouds overhead, as was the genius's favorite pastime, neither seemed to be paying attention to the clouds. Rather, they were inwardly contemplating some other problem. Ino had been rather solemnly working the cashier's desk at her family's flower shop, lacking the bright smile she normally greeted the customer's with. Kiba sat alone near a river bank, Akamaru laying by his feet. He would absently mindedly stroke the dog's head, staring blankly at the passing water. Neither of the Hyuugas were to be seen. Rock Lee was quietly training under Gai's supervision. For the past two years, neither would really be seen without the other. Tenten had stayed at home that day. Her teammates had been more distracted than usual, and she found no real reason to go out.

With most of the promising young shinobi acting unlike their normal selves, Kakashi figured he probably should not have been all too surprised to see the Konoha Ninja Academy Sensei being hauled, completely senseless, out of a bar by the Hokage. He had never figured the young chuunin as one prone to alcohol, or even being able to hold his liquor. Understanding, and sympathizing though, he silently approached Tsunade.

"I'll take him." He murmured.

Tsunade turned to him with a grateful look. She already was stressed enough by Konoha politics and dealing with personal matters, as well as the awakening of Sasuke, and the general attitude of the people of Konoha, she truly didn't need the be beleaguered by one drunk ninja. She handed Iruka over with a nod. She understood that Kakashi probably already knew how to treat hangovers. Kakashi himself had traveled down that road a bit a few times.

The jounin had only once ever approved of a new genin team. Out of that single cell group, one was a hated monster and one had betrayed his home village. After all he had tried to instill in his team, he still could not build the trust and understanding required in a successful ninja group, and he had tried his very best.

He had learned his lessons the hard way. So had his team.

As he hefted Iruka over one shoulder, the chuunin let out one irate snore, then settled back into blissful unconsciousness.

Giving one assuring nod to the Hokage, Kakashi disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Tsunade sighed, running a hand through her bangs. She slowly walked away. Despite her responsibilities, her paperwork, she didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. Knowing that she could put off most of her work until tomorrow, she slowly wandered away to no place in particular.

-:- -:- -:

"_What are you doing?"_

_Naruto didn't turn around. With his back to the speaker, he simply grinned, know that it was what the other had expected him to do. He continued to gaze at the rain-swollen river rushing beneath the bridge. He was perched on the railing, barely holding onto the rail, but bent far above the water. "Just thinking." He replied cheekily, knowing that it would irritate his audience, even if his audience had no personality to speak of._

_Neji rested his forearms on the rail beside the blonde. "Nothing too deeply I hope. You wouldn't want to break anything upstairs." He retorted calmly, silently enjoying the shocked expression on Naruto's face._

"_You…joke…WAH!" Naruto squealed and threw himself on top of the older nin in a sudden hug._

_Taken completely by surprise, and also by the fact that Naruto had launched himself from the ledge that they were both leaning on, Neji was slammed onto the floor of the bridge, a sniffling blonde crying on him._

"_I'm so happy that you finally gained a personality, Neji-chan! You have no idea how much I've waited for this day!" Naruto wailed, faux tears streaming down his face._

_Neji grunted, his face screwed up into a combination of discomfort and embarrassment. Awkward….it was awkward… "Get off."_

"_No!" Naruto giggled, his voice muffled by Neji's shirt._

_The older nin, stunned by the vehement response, laid still._

_Naruto snuggled into him. "You smell nice." He murmured._

_Curious, Neji laid a hand on top of the blonde's soft hair. What was wrong with Naruto? Normally, he wasn't so…affectionate. He was loud and affectionate, but now he was simply…it was like he was trying to stay with him as much as possible, not that Neji minded much. Still, he had to know what was going on in the blonde's head. Naruto was a genius in his own right, one that Neji respected highly. If something was bothering him, then Neji would find out what it was and correct it._

"_Naruto," Neji began seriously, "what were you thinking about earlier?" He heard the younger ninja sigh. Naruto rolled off the other boy and laid on his stomach facing him, a hand propped up beneath his chin. His eyes curved into smiling crescents and his vulpine grin spread across his face in full force. "I'm leaving, Neji."_

-:- -:- -:-

The kunai slid easily beneath his fingers, without effort, without thought, the razor-sharp metal glided in his hands. He idly played with the weapon, twirling it thoughtlessly between his fingers. One became two and multiplied until he had one kunai twirling about each finger on his left hand. When he reached the guarded ward, the kunai were slipped deftly back into the holster, and he proceeded as if he had not been entertaining the thought of murdering the patient in cold blood.

"It's not like you to be emitting such killing intent." A voice commented idly.

Neji ignored it. "I've heard you've been asking for Naruto, Uchiha." He replied, calmly.

His interest perked, Sasuke turned his eyes from the wall he had been staring at blankly, to his visitor.

Neji was silent for a moment. He remained standing in the shadows of the darkened room. He wasn't sure of what possessed him to visit the Uchiha in the dead of night except that he wanted to be the one to tell him.

"Stop asking. Naruto won't come." Neji said coldly.

"He will come." Sasuke responded confidently. _He promised me that he would come. He would stay. The dobe isn't a liar._

"He won't."

"Where is he?"

Neji slowly shook his head. A kunai appeared in his hand. He began to twirl it once more. He detested idleness. In his case, idle hands would end up with a dead Uchiha and an angry Hokage. He was aware that the Hokage was simply waiting for the right moment to extract the information from the Uchiha. At the moment, he believed that he would be a poor candidate for that job, since whether or not the Uchiha spoke mattered to him. He simply wanted the bastard to feel the _pain_.

"It's all your fault." He hissed lowly.

Sasuke nodded, thinking that the older ninja was referring to the current state of Konoha. He agreed with the other ninja. It had been his fault. He had been mistaken, and it had lead Konoha to ruin. But Konoha was a strong village. It could rebuild and prosper once more.

Pale eyes narrowed. Sasuke didn't understand. The fool that he was, he would never understand. "Naruto won't come." He repeated, his voice frosty. The kunai slid to his right hand, never once missing a twirl. The blade barely had brushed his right fingers when it went whizzing across the room, slicing off a single strand of Sasuke's hair. The Uchiha didn't even flinch, instead, his gaze hardened against the Hyuuga.

"Where is he?"

Another kunai twirled between the Hyuuga's fingers. His lips twisted cruelly. "Gone." He spat poisonously, leaning forward. The kunai froze in his grasp, millimeters away from the Uchiha's pale neck. "It's _your_ fault, Uchiha." He hissed. Oh, how he wanted to draw the blade across that white flesh. He wanted to see that pale skin drenched in its own crimson blood. Stained red, like his dreams.

"Neji!"

The startled cry parted the boys.

Sakura stood in the hallway, her green eyes wide in shock.

"Haruno." Neji said stoically. He gave her a small nod before snatching up his blades and leaving the room.

She sighed as the pale-eyed genius left. She had been so worried for a moment. The Hyuuga had truly looked murderous. As much as she wasn't proud of her past actions, or that of her former teammate, she in no way wanted him dead. Quietly she made her way toward Sasuke's side, seating herself silently as the Uchiha's attention had returned to the wall he had been staring at before the Hyuuga's interruption.

"Naruto." Sasuke murmured absently. "Where is he?"

Sakura inhaled sharply, closing her eyes. Was that all Sasuke could think about? She understood fully why, but she couldn't help herself. She bit her lip, stifling her tears. It wasn't fair to Naruto. It just wasn't fair. And here she was, about to break her promise to the blonde ninja. _I'm sorry, Naruto. But he has to know. It's only fair…_

She drew a slow, tremulous breath. "He was always the first to run after you, you know." She began softly, knowing that she had his full attention. "Every mission, every lead, he was always the first out of the gates, whether or not any one followed him. He was willing to brave that serpent's den, just to get to you." She continued.

"But…" She hesitated. She inhaled again. "Naruto was one of our strongest ninja. He had become a powerful shinobi after…you left. He trained with Jiraiya-sama for two and a half-years. He learned things away from Konoha, things and hardships I could never comprehend."

Her lips curled into a half smile. "Jiraiya-sama said that he had been made for this kind of training, the harsh reality of certain it. He had been…conditioned for it by his time in Konoha." Her eyes closed, remembering how cruel the inhabitants of the Hidden Village of the Leaf had been. Only their cruelty had allowed Naruto to grow in such a tremendous way and so quickly. But, at the same time, Naruto had still retained his will to protect the villagers, regardless of what they had thought of him. And he had remained an innocent. He would have made an incredible Hokage, one day.

Sasuke sat still, unmoving, waiting for her to continue.

"However, his…recklessness in going after you, somewhat…weakened, Konoha. No one had realized what an asset Naruto had become until the attacks had started…" Her jaw clenched. Her eyes turned steely. "Tell me, will you chase after _him_, even now?"

Obsidian eyes hardened at her change in tone. She wouldn't talk about Naruto like that, not after all she had been through with him. She meant _Itachi_.

He shook his head. No. In the past year and a half, all thought of his brother had vanished from his mind. His time away from Konoha had redirected his thoughts. Memories of yellow and orange had replaced those of black and red. He almost shuddered as he recalled the Valley of the End. Naruto had bled that day. He had finally seen Naruto's strength, the power he kept hidden to protect himself. But Naruto had faltered, and in a battle he should have won, he lost, simply because he had been unwilling to harm, to hurt, to kill Sasuke.

The Uchiha had felt no small amount of guilt at that. As his 'training' with the madman of a serpent had intensified, he found himself becoming obsessive over the blonde. Naruto had been the only person who had ever become so close to him, closer than family. His thoughts of the blonde allowed him to keep going, while thoughts of vengeance had ate away at him until he was a soulless shell. If, on that day he had been abandoned in the forest by Orochimaru, he had not had his mind set on memories of warmer days, he would have died.

Itachi had faded from his mind. His past anger had disappeared. He couldn't change the past. Killing Itachi would not bring the Uchihas back, nor would it make him feel any better. He had known that for a long time, yet he had childishly persisted in thoughts and plans for revenge, only to see the ever widening gap between them.

If Itachi ever returned, he would fight, he would defend, but he would not chase after the bastard. It had cost him so much already. He wasn't willing to lose what little else he held precious to him.

At Sasuke's negative response, Sakura's shoulders drooped a bit. She felt as if she shouldn't be telling him it, that it wouldn't help matters. It might even make him feel worse, to know the truth. But, he had been Naruto's closest friend. He deserved to know.

"They were vicious, uncaring of who came in their way. Whether they were shinobi or civilian, they were slaughtered without mercy by the Akatsuki." She continued, defeated. "We didn't learn of what they wanted until it was too late." She hung her head.

"The Konohagakure High Council had deemed it too dangerous to keep Naruto within our walls. They associated the attacks with Naruto. Whenever Naruto entered the village, or when he was leaving, the Akatsuki attacked. They had thought that Naruto had been coordinating the attacks since he, and only he, had come away from battle unscathed. They thought it had been revenge for Kyuubi since Naruto had managed to bond with the demon during Jiraiya-sama's training. They compiled evidence against Naruto, all of it circumstantial, and most of it false. Someone planted the evidence against Naruto, someone with innate knowledge of how the Konohagakure's legal system worked!"

_The Konoha Police Force._ Sasuke realized. _Itachi…_ His jaw clenched, eyes swirling crimson with chakra he couldn't afford to spare.

"So, Naruto was exiled."

"WHAT!" Crimson eyes blazed. He pinned Sakura with his sharp gaze. She seemed unfazed, staring at her hands tucked into her lap.

"For months, he lived in a small hut on the outer rim of the forest. Only a few of us knew where he lived. He still tried to protect Konoha, even as a renegade ninja." A wry smile crossed her lips. "We would visit him when we could, sneaking outside of Konoha's walls." Tears dribbled heedlessly down her cheeks. "But, even afterwards, the attacks didn't stop, didn't cease. If anything, they intensified. Then suddenly, it went quiet, but by that time, Konoha was near ruin. And everyone blamed Naruto. The villagers even made claims that they saw a blonde boy leading some of the attacks. But Naruto would never…he would never…"

Her voice choked with sobs. "They took him…he exchanged his life for ours, for yours." She wept bitterly. "The Akatsuki kept attacking because they _knew_ he would give in. Even when Konoha had forsaken him. He still loved our village. You had been a tool to get to him. Orochimaru had never left the Akatsuki, he never could. Nobody could leave the Akatsuki. Even when you were with him, he was still under their command. Naruto worried for you, for us. So, he sacrificed himself for us. He bargained off himself to save Konoha, and you. As soon as the attacks stopped, you were dropped off within our walls." She futilely wiped at her face. "We haven't seen him since." She sniffed. "I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Sasuke looked murderous, his fiery eyes blazed, brinking on the edge of wrathful insanity. He had remembered that, the night he had been returned to Konoha. It had been painful. Orochimaru had put him through one of the most rigorous tests he had ever to face. He had almost died. He had been left for dead in the forest. But, he remembered warm arms, a soft familiar voice. He had been carried into Konoha, on the back of a painfully recognizable orange jumpsuit. Naruto had been with him that night. He could never forget that.

"And even through all that, he didn't blame you." She looked at him sadly. "He still blamed himself. Thinking himself too weak to save you. So he did the only thing he could. He left, with _him_, the one who had wanted him all along." She struggled getting the last part out. This was what Naruto had made her promise not to tell, if anything else, he had sworn her to secrecy, but Sasuke _had_ to know. She drew a deep breath. "Naruto went willingly with Itachi, to become a member of the Akatsuki."

Even if she had been ready for Sasuke's unbridled anger at that confession, nothing could have prepared her for that raw, violent blast of chakra. Sasuke should have been fighting to stay awake, not attacking her with the very substance keeping him alive.

"SHIZUNE!" She screamed over the roar of the wildly whipping energy. Her hair streamed around her, but she had thankfully kept it short, so it only barely blocked her vision. ANBU were in the room in a moment, slapping seals on the boy, rendering him unconscious.

Shizune was by their side a second later, cursing under her breath. Her fingers flew in a flurry of hand seals Sakura couldn't recognize, but with a nod from the older medic nin, Sakura clasped her hands together in a series of familiar hand seals designed to hold chakra. As one the two females pressed their hands against Sasuke's now unconscious form, imbuing him with their combined chakra.

Sakura slumped onto the bedside exhausted as Shizune frowned. "Damn that reckless boy!" She cursed. "Tsunade-sama will have my head if he dies!" She glared at the sleeping form, calling for a nurse. "Keep him in a state of suspended rest." She barked.

Sakura's eyes widened, but before she could voice her concern, Shizune cut her off with a sharp look, which softened at her hurt expression. "It's not a punishment, Sakura. It's for his well-being. In all truthfulness, he shouldn't have been kept awake this whole time. He had been forcing his body into a state it wasn't ready for. He's not completely healed yet. We'll release the genjutsu when he's recovered enough of his chakra." She reassured the younger ninja.

She swallowed, nodding. She should have known better. It had still been too early to tell Sasuke. She was so stupid. _I'm sorry Naruto. I have only made it worse._

-:- -:- -:-

Outside Neji leaned against the outer wall of the hospital. He smirked. The fool Uchiha. Even after all this time, he still had no control over himself when it came down to that blonde. But it was his fault. He scowled. The damn Uchiha. It was all his fault. If it hadn't been for the Uchiha's utterly ridiculous notion of revenge, of his own selfishness, Naruto would still be with them today. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. Naruto deserved so much better.

_End Chapter One_

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

Shrimp: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Shrimpy here. Call me Shrimpy, please. Experimenting with Naruto fanfics. I've read a lot of them, and have come across some absolutely wonderful fics. Though I was a bit disappointed to find out a lack of certain slash pairings I'm rather fond of. SasuNaru is absolutely rampant. In my mind, almost anyone is slashable in Naruto, though I will keep some het pairings. LeeSaku is too cute. As well as ShikaIno and ShikaTem. Also KibaHina. But, just about everyone else, minus Chouji and select others, is highly slashable, and at one point, has been defamed in my mind. Here I'm going to poke around and find out what works. At some point in this, Naruto will have some kind of fluff moment with every character I can think of, simply because I'm depraved like that. Sasuke will do much chasing of Naruto here, but I am still uncertain over a main pairing.

Fry: 'Tis I, the mighty Fry! Bow down before me as I am Shrimpy's beta and editor, and she should worship the ground I walk on.

Shrimp: Ahem! Anyways, please, as pointless as it is, read my author's notes. I have written fanfiction before, and it absolutely irks me when I write the answer to a question in my authors note, and am asked that question several times afterwards. I will explain things and clarify things which might seem confusing in my author's notes, and also answer quesions you may have if I have not answered them previously. I warn you though, if you ask a question I have already answered, I will ignore it unless it has been explained poorly.

Fry: Which will be almost always.

Shrimp: Quiet you. Furthermore, I'll bet some people have questions already. So here are a few answers to some questions I predict will be asked since the timeline is a tad confusing. This takes place after the Kakashi Gaiden. So, two and a half years have passed since the failed retrieval of Sasuke. Then, past that, there is a six month interim where Naruto has returned, and since then the Akatsuki attacks have been taking place, resulting in Naruto's exile and then his abduction. So, after three years of being gone, Sasuke returns and is comatose for two years. Sasuke still is unaware of how long he has been asleep, so his thoughts are based on the three years he is aware of, not the two years he has missed. At this point, the genins we all love are about seventeen years old, those of Team Gai would be eighteen. A perfect age for slashy romance!

Fry: As another note, we do share the same e-mail address, but never fear, one of us will always be monitoring it. If Shrimpy is away, I will post chapters and answer questions in her stead. So we should have a regular schedule. We are aiming for monthly chapters though. We aim low as to not disappoint expectations. But, we shall try to make the chapters long. This is a rather short chapter, but all beginnings are hard. The next chapter should hopefully be much longer. However, if it looks like we can beat a schedule, we might update faster. Oh! And we apologize for this lengthy AN. It won't happen again. We just decided to take the time to introduce ourselves and give you guys a bit of a hint about how this will work out. This is the first time we structuring something like this, and we hope it fares well. Any questions so far?

Shrimp: Please ask, we'd be so happy to answer.

Fry: Yeah, Shrimpy is deprived of human contact. Her only source is well, me and the computer. Please review. Shrimpy needs the ego boost.

Shrimp: See you in February. PS, we'll be taking suggestions for slash pairings, if there's a particular pair you want to see, or interaction between certain characters. This is an experiment for us, so there shall be much poking around. All suggestions are welcome.

Fry: REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Day One and the Consequences of Hope**

_Naruto beamed at his visitor. He hadn't expected one so soon. His hut was much farther than it seemed from the village. And even thinly veiled in genjutsu, since Naruto had never been very adept at it, his hut could still be found by the skillful tracking of a determined shinobi. He was too glad to have a visitor. "Neji! I thought you were training with Rock Lee today!" He exclaimed, an exultant grin on his lips._

"_He tired out."_

_Bright blue eyes widened. "No way. _Rock Lee_ got _tired_?"_

_Neji gave a careless shrug. He didn't bother informing the blonde that Rock Lee had spent the past seventy-two hours on a grueling, and not to mention insane, training ritual with Gai-sensei. He literally had to drag the exhausted taijutsu specialist back to his home since Rock Lee had been unwilling to miss their appointed training by being too fatigued. Stone-faced, Neji had been able to convince Lee that it was a type of training to allow the body to rest, and that he truly did not mind that they would be unable to train together. Both knew that it had not been Rock Lee's intent to miss their training day._

_Green-clad ninjas were too far from normal to even be considered healthy._

"_So what do I owe the pleasure?" Naruto piped cheerily._

"_I wanted to finish my training." Neji replied._

_Naruto's eyes narrowed mischievously. "You're on!"_

-:- -:- -:-

Pale eyes snapped open. These dreams weren't healthy. His thoughts all circulated around memories and speculation over a certain blonde. He was obsessing and he knew it. But he couldn't help it. If it hadn't been for the blonde…if Naruto hadn't saved him so long ago…he would still be unjustly blaming his uncle for a crime he never committed. It was his father's last wish, to have one act done out of free choice.

To be free.

Idly, he raised a hand to the mark on his forehead. He could only respect the wishes of both his uncle and his father, and their relationship had even grown from it. He now gave the respect that his uncle and his cousin duly deserved. He was no longer some icy bastard. He had become stronger thanks to Naruto. And he had repaid that strength by being unable to save the blonde when he had needed it the most. His hand dropped to his lap.

It was most disappointing.

-:- -:- -:-

"Tsunade-sama, just what exactly do you plan to do with the boy?"

Konoha's fifth Hokage stared out of the window. "I will do what I deem fit, considering the circumstances." She replied sternly. She hated the politics. She was a shinobi dammit! Not some politician. Why didn't the council see that the matter was more concerned over their very livelihoods rather than how the people viewed them? It didn't matter what the people thought. This was battle! This wasn't a tea party. The council should just fuck off for all she cared.

It was infuriating. They were dancing around the true subject. Naruto had been the lynchpin of _everything_, and they had thrown him away. Few select ninjas knew the truth. Naruto had been a complete innocent, throwing himself recklessly in battle to save the very people who scorned him. Those who had been friends of Naruto had defended his name and were turned upon by the populace.

It was ridiculous.

They were alienating some of the best shinobi ever to be born in Konoha, all for the sake of reputation. The council disliked being proven wrong, they disliked it a great deal. And Tsunade _knew_ that they were willing to do what it took to silence the Uchiha, only to save face. Even if Sasuke could provide vital information about what they would be up against, and even the reason behind it, Konoha's high council were willing to execute him, just to save their own reputations. She couldn't let that happen.

They were going to enter an era unseen by the latest generation of Konoha. The elders who remembered wartime between the great ninja countries had their memories overshadowed by the battle with the demon. They had forgotten the ninja and their true purpose. The ninja were tools. They were almost mercenary in their tasks, but one thing was clear: The ninja were those who fought. They defended their territory. They were what leant a country their power.

Konoha was about to engage in war. Only the blind villagers and the stupid council were too deluded in their denial to see it. Exiling Naruto had done nothing but hand over their greatest source of power to the enemy. The Kyuubi had been an awesome, wild power. But Naruto had tamed him. And she knew that the Akatsuki would do whatever it took to bend Naruto to their will. She never doubted Naruto or his intents. He was a sweet boy. He was strong, both in mind and body. But he wasn't meant for war. He was too innocent, and because of the council's mistake, she feared they had lost him.

Tsunade had the battle-hardened foresight the council lacked. She wasn't as ignorant as the council. She knew the purposes of the Akatsuki's attacks on Konoha. The Akatsuki could care less about a single ninja village. But a jinchuuriki. That was something else altogether. The Kyuubi was the final and most powerful of the tailed beasts. He was sealed within the body of the only son of one of the most gifted Kage's the ninja world had ever seen. Of course he would be a prime target. So they played Konoha like the fool it was. And Konoha handed them over exactly what they wanted.

Tsunade was no tyrant, but she wouldn't lose again to the council, ever. She had fought against the decision of Naruto's exile, vehemently, but her protests had fallen upon deaf ears. They simply had not wanted to listen. Now they chitted and chatted like a group of children, talking about useless things. They ignored what was important, what was vital.

Once, they too had been ninja. It was disgusting to see the perversity of power in unwise hands. They had forgotten the importance of the creation of Konoha's government. They were to serve, not to command.

She slammed her hand down violently. The table cracked beneath her strength. "Disband." She said icily. This was the way it had to be. To protect Konoha, as unwilling as they were to accept it, this had to be done.

They stared at her, uncomprehending. She couldn't just disband the council.

"You _will_ do as I say." Her eyes narrowed.

ANBU that Shizune had organized appeared in the room.

The elder council members stared, shocked. This was _treason_.

Tsunade scowled. Ignorant fools had _no idea_. Even those such Danzou had sided with her against the council. As much as he had hated her for her soft beliefs and kind rule, he understood what war had meant for Konoha. The aged rival of Sandaime knew what would be beneficial for their village, and the council simply wasn't it.

War had come to Konoha. She would be prepared. She had no time to listen to their pettiness. If anything, she needed to rectify a mistake that never should have been made. She closed her eyes. _I am sorry, Arashi. I have failed you._

Naruto…

-:- -:- -:-

Ryuu sat bored. He paced his part of the wall slowly then plopped back down on his rear, resting his wrists on bent knees. Guard duty was boring. People rarely visited Konoha anyway since the Akatsuki attacks. Though, that may be all the more reason to take his duty as guard more seriously. But, the attacks had never come while he was on duty. In fact, he was usually cocooned in his bed when it happened. It was awful rolling out of his room and into battle in only his pajamas. He was never crucially injured though, all pretty much superficial wounds. Which was pretty good, considering that he was a newbie jounin. Though, it also explained the guard duty…

He couldn't wait for his shift to be over. Just three more hours and he could switch off with Kensuke. Then he could go home for some much needed sleep, but not before a quick swing by the Ichiraku. They had the best deals on good, cheap, ramen. Maybe he would run into that blonde boy that was there often. The kid was an amusing boy to talk to. Though, he hadn't seen him for quite a while. He briefly wondered what happened to him. Ever since he had stopped showing up at the Ichiraku, both the elderly cook and his daughter, the waitress, had much more grim faces.

Ryuu yawned. He should probably catch up on current events. Kensuke always bugged him for his ignorance. But, he had odd hours of work, and night was more the time for dirty jokes than the news of the day, so he often missed out on the most obvious of things. Though, that could be attributed to the amount of sleep he liked to acquire, quite a rare characteristic for a jounin.

He sighed, blowing his bangs from his eyes irritated. He should probably get a haircut soon. He had tried self-barbering before, with a kunai, just to save money. He had ended up with an unexplainable bald spot on the back of his head. He had no idea how it had happened considering he had been trimming his bangs and the end of his pony tail.

The unfortunate bald spot had caused him to cut off almost all of his hair in an attempt to even things out. In the end, his self-barbering resulted in short spiky hair resembling a mass of splinters. Since then, he had recruited Kensuke to cut his hair as his friend was much more skilled at it. He didn't get it. If he could throw the kunai accurately, and at a target that might as well have been invisible, why couldn't he cut his hair with the same blade just as accurately?

Eh? What was that…Ryuu blinked. Why, it looked like the Kazekage of Sunagakure was breaking down the gate of Konoha's eastern wall. But that couldn't be, he had no business here…the Hokage would have informed him if the Kage of another village was visiting…

However, despite Ryuu's rather lax disbelief, the certain demon possessing redhead summoned a pillar of sand and crashed through Konoha's Eastern gate with it.

Ryuu stared. "Oh shit. I hope that doesn't come out of my pay."

-:- -:- -:-

It had been less than an hour since her impromptu coup of Konoha, not that she would call it that. But she couldn't afford any more mistakes, and the council would only hold her back, get in her way, and hinder any progress she could make on her own. War was coming, acting as if it wasn't would not keep it away.

Now she stared down the redheaded Kazekage. She should have known better than to assume that she could have put this confrontation off for too long. It had long since been coming, ever since Sasuke's betrayal. Naruto's exile, his sudden disappearance from Konoha's forest…Gaara had been patient. He had been waiting for what they all had been waiting for, Sasuke's awakening.

She gave him a brittle smile and offered him a seat. He remained standing.

"The Uchiha." Gaara said frostily, arms crossed.

"When he is of stable health, he will be tried for his crimes in Konoha's high court." Tsudane replied evenly.

"He has committed crimes against Sunagakure as well." Gaara continued tonelessly.

Tsunade repressed a sigh. She knew what Gaara wanted. He wanted to try Sasuke in Sand Village. She couldn't allow that. Knowing Gaara's attachment to Naruto, he would probably torture the boy for information then murder him. He could easily justify it for Sasuke, as an accomplice of Orochimaru, had high standing crimes against the Sand Village.

Konoha needed Sasuke, for information and other things. He had been, and still remained, Naruto's best friend. Naruto had never forsaken the boy, even when the Uchiha had turned his back on Konoha and all of its inhabitants. Naruto cared deeply for him and had considered him his very best friend. They had been so close before Itachi had returned, warping Sasuke's mind with thoughts of vengeance. He had been so unstable. Finally corrupted, the boy turned to the one man who had offered him the power he needed. So foolish.

"Uchiha Sasuke is a citizen of Konoha. It is his right to be tried in his home village." Tsunade reasoned.

"_Was_ a citizen of Konoha. He abandoned your village for Otogakure. Law dictates his trial be held in the village of which the crime was committed against. Orochimaru murdered the fourth Kazekage. Sunagakure demands the Uchiha to be held trial in Suna." He shot back coldly.

The Hokage beat down a cry of frustration. When did Gaara become so _sharp_. He had always been a powerful ninja, but he had become a brilliant tactician as well. Damn, she was going to have to play dirty. She hadn't wanted to, but Sasuke _had_ to remain in Konoha. "Sunagakure is ill equipped to accommodate the prisoner." Tsunade pointed out.

She could read the hesitation in the Kazekage's emotionless face.

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptively. "He would be…adequately accommodated." His voice held no trace of his intention to throw Sasuke into a dungeon and leave him there, unattended, to hopefully die before the trial date, though both knew of his plan.

Tsunade shook his head. "Medically, I meant. Konoha is far more advanced than Suna in the medical field. We would be able to more adequately keep his condition stable. Also, his state is fragile. He could hardly be called upon for travel, especially to a region with such a harsh climate as Sunagakure."

She could _hear_ the sand within his gourd shifting. The Kazekage was becoming annoyed. "However I acknowledge that Suna has been wronged as well. Therefore, I grant your judgment as well as that of your counsel be present and involved in the trial." She conceded. "But it _must_ be held within Konoha." She said firmly.

He nodded. "Acceptable. I appoint Temari as my counsel. She will arrive within three days. I will remain in Konoha with Kankourou as acting Kazekage during my absence from Suna." He announced before leaving abruptly.

Tsunade sighed heavily, slumping in her chair. Saving that brat's life was no easy task, but…she fingered the three piece pendant around her neck absently. She remembered to whom she had unwittingly bet the necklace to, and the former owner of it so very clearly. She covered her face with her hands. _Anything for Naruto_. That boy could draw the moon itself to him if he so wanted. One couldn't help but be attracted to the boy. He had such pure qualities that would draw anyone in, bringing out the best in others. He had, after all, changed her as well.

She sighed again, stretching her back. For right now, she would ignore the presence of the Kazekage, as well as the fact that their only lead to Naruto had indirectly tried to kill himself yesterday in a rage. Things needed to be taken care of quickly, but Konoha could not make the first move. All they could do was prepare for the worst. She wondered if Iruka was up for a trip to the bar…

-:- -:- -:-

Iruka stumbled out of his bedroom, staggering toward the toilet. He bent over the seat and promptly threw up the contents of his stomach. He slumped against the cool porcelain with a pained groan, resting his forehead on his arm. He felt terrible.

A cup was placed under his nose. He immediately picked up the sharp bitter scent of crushed herbs mixed in with tea. He groggily took the proffered cup and downed its steaming contents, sputtering afterwards.

"It's hot." Kakashi warned belatedly.

Iruka glared from over the sink where he was currently filling his mouth with icy water. His hangover was thankfully gone now due to the bitter brew, but he doubted he would be able to taste anything for the next week since he had scalded off all of his tastebuds. He snatched up a towel and tried to surreptitiously scrub at his burnt tongue under the pretense of wiping his mouth. Kakashi said nothing, but his eye curved in amusement.

"What do you want?" He asked the jounin tiredly. He wasn't in the mood for any of Kakashi's teasing or taunts. He just wanted to be left alone. It was a bad time for him. With Naruto's exile, he felt only the most profound sense of failure. He had failed Naruto. The boy had been consigned to a fate he never deserved, and Konoha would never recognize the sacrifice and service which Naruto had always blessed them with, simply because they refused to believe it.

Naruto was an innocent. And they were slowly killing him.

Kakashi expected Iruka's somber mood. He always fell into depression this time of year, wallowing in pity and self-loathing like clockwork. He could honestly say that he didn't blame the teacher, but it wasn't productive to their cause. "Sasuke awoke." He said quietly.

Iruka stiffened. "Has he…said anything?" The teacher couldn't keep the hope from his voice. If the boy had _any_ leads on Naruto, anything at all, he would be out of Konoha's gates in a flash.

The jounin shook his head. "He's still weak and disoriented. There was an incident last night concerning him, so he's been put into a forced hibernation until he recovers." He reported emotionlessly.

"I see." Iruka replied, his shoulders dropping. A weak smile flitted across his face. "Well, at least Sasuke-kun will be on the road to recovery. We can still hope for things to turn out." He said with forced cheer.

Kakashi said nothing and the smile faded from Iruka's lips. He frowned suddenly. "I am _trying_." Iruka said exasperated. "But you cannot expect me to be as detached as you. Naruto meant a lot to me. I can't forgive those who can't see his worth.' He said softly. He swiped his face with the towel once more. "I'll be okay today. Just, leave me alone for a while." He said turning his back on the jounin.

"He was important to me too. But we are shinobi. We do what is best for the village."

Iruka tensed. Kakashi couldn't be insinuating that it had been _better_ that Naruto had been unjustly punished…

"I would be lying if I said I didn't care." Kakashi added softly. "Follow the Godaime's orders. She is looking out for the village and Naruto. You will have nothing to worry about. Once Jiraiya returns, I'm sure he'll make them see." Kakashi said with a faux grin as he left.

Kakashi's words were meant to be reassuring, but at the same time, they made Iruka realize how powerless he was. He had been Naruto's first friend, the first to acknowledge him. But as Naruto grew, so did the number of others who finally saw what he knew Naruto possessed so long ago. Naruto was a person who could bring out the best in others. It was his special ability, something with which no bloodline limit or genius could ever compete with. He had wanted to protect Naruto, but it was the boy's best friend who had dealt the blonde the deepest wound. Still, Naruto had been able to overlook it and forgive the Uchiha. It gave depth to the boy that few could understand. Naruto was _selfless_, and his selflessness had brought Konoha to the brink of war.

For one boy, so many lives would change. The villagers might never acknowledge Naruto's importance or what he truly meant to Konoha, but Iruka swore to never forget it.

-:- -:- -:-

Neji was stalking back to the Hyuuga mansion when he crossed paths with Gaara exiting from the administration building. Skilled as he was in reading the traceless emotions of impassive faces, Neji easily saw the invisible lines of tension in the Kazekage's face. He slowed his pace until Gaara had walked abreast of him, not once acknowledging the Leaf nin.

He glanced over at the silent red head. He noted the invisible lines of tension in the Sand nin's face. So, the Kazekage had been unable to extract the Uchiha to Sungakure for the trial. He had figured as much. The Hokage had too much riding on the Uchiha to have let him slip through her fingers so easily. Gaara wouldn't let him go so easily either, this Neji also knew. The Sand nin would probably be staying in Konoha for the duration of the trial. Well, if that were the case, might at well find out what he could from the Kazekage. After all, he had speculated that Naruto had, at one point during his exile, spent sometime in Sunagakure.

He quietly lead the silent Sand nin to the Hyuuga mansion. The Kazekage followed wordlessly. Gaara too had some things he wanted to discuss with the Leaf nin.

-:- -:- -:-

Sakura sat quiet. Her hands were folded into her lap and she stared sightlessly at her upturned palms. She was perched on a stool by Sasuke's bedside. For not the first time, she wondered over the wisdom of her decision. It wasn't her right to have told him, but at the time, she felt like he had to know. She had felt so strongly that it was important. Why?

_Because you want to hurt him._

She almost started at the sound of that incriminating voice within her mind.

_You wanted him to hurt, because he hurt Naruto, and you haven't forgiven him yet._

She closed her eyes, willing the voice to be silent.

_No matter how you smile, it's fake. You haven't forgiven him. You're not that good of a person, but you know you're right. Sasuke was wrong. He betrayed the village, and worse yet, his best friend. You cannot imagine how it must have crushed Naruto, but he smiled. He stayed strong, protecting the village that hated him. He kept smiling even after he was sent away. And up until that last moment he spent with you, he was still smiling._

She choked back a sob. No, why did this have to happen now? Why did she have to fall to pieces when it was so important to stay strong?

_It's because you are not strong. You are not good. Naruto was, and you just might have hated him for that. Before, you hated because you knew no better. Now, you know that you are no better. You are no better than the rest of those ignorant fools who paraded the image of Kyuubi over the true innocent soul of someone who had to suffer what no one else could comprehend. You're a terrible person, and you want to cause pain to others. That is why you told him. That is why you cannot hold yourself together now. You're just not strong enough._

Sakura broke down, covering her face with her hands, stifling her sobs. All her life she had been a selfish person, looking out for only her own wants and needs. She couldn't look past herself. When fate threw her into a mismatched team of strength and weakness, she had thought that she had learned, that she had become a better person. But it was all an illusion. She wasn't strong enough. She had deceived herself into thinking it was the right thing to do when the back of her mind had been malicious. She had wanted Sasuke to hurt.

She wasn't strong enough to be fair or forgiving.

Swiftly, she gathered herself, wiping at her eyes with the heel of her hands. She would do this for Naruto, try to be strong. It was the only thing Naruto had ever wanted for her. She was meant to be caring and independent, strong and brave. They were ideals that he thought she had possessed. He had always been so kind to her, even when she hadn't deserved it. For him, she would try to make the illusion a reality. But she quietly promised herself, if Sasuke _ever_ hurt Naruto again, her resolves would shatter, and she would put all the strength and power she had garnered in these past five years, into repaying that pain a thousand times over.

-:- -:- -:-

"The brat…"

The uncharacteristically cold voice almost made her jump. Tsunade's head snapped upward from where she had bent it over the desk, resting her forehead in her upturned palms. Her eyes sought out Jiraiya's form near the far wall, arms crossed, his face an unrecognizable mask of seriousness.

"He is awake." Jiraiya continued in that odd, flat tone. He stated more than asked the fact.

Tsunade sighed heavily. She knew that Sasuke's awakening would be difficult to keep quiet. Though, even if she had attempted to stifle the news, she knew that no matter where Jiraiya had been hiding or searching this past year, he would have learned of it, and returned to Konoha anyways. Sasuke's awakening had heralded more events than she wished to think about. It was so important…but at the same time so devastating. The information locked up within his mind, whether he knew it or not, would make or break Konoha.

Naruto was the key to everything. The only lead they had to him, however, was Sasuke. Even having spent years apart, Sasuke had remained the closest person to Naruto. Those years of training with Jiraiya had only isolated Naruto more. He had closed himself off, more so, than when he had lived within the village's walls. He was still open and caring, but he allowed no one close. No one was allowed to see his pain, his suffering. He bottled his emotions, stoppering any negative feelings, so that the only outward expressions on his face would be joy, happiness, or determination.

Only one person had seemed to have wheedled his way into Naruto's closely guarded interior. And having been the person able to see Naruto at his more vulnerable, he had also been the person most apt to hurting Naruto in the worst ways possible. It had been the choice reason the Akatsuki had been so intent on bending Sasuke toward them. Orochimaru had been their tool. They had been too successful.

Jiraiya sighed. He raised a hand to idly brush through his shockingly long, white hair. His expression softened, not looking any kinder, but losing the hard stare he had possessed before. He couldn't exactly blame the brat. Orochimaru had fallen to similar circumstances, just as he, himself as a youth, had failed to save his former teammate. Still, there was something that Sasuke had unknowingly done, that had made his crimes so much more unforgivable.

Naruto had offered something Sasuke something that Jiraiya never once had the guts to offer Orochimaru. Naruto had given him friendship, companionship, and redemption. Jiraiya had not been so kind, nor forgiving. He would never have been able to proffer Orochimaru that second chance with no questions asked. He had tried to save Orochimaru, but a schism had formed between them, hindering their previous friendship. Naruto had no such scruples. He would have returned Sasuke to the village without a second thought. It had been his selflessness that Sasuke had destroyed.

It wasn't to say that Naruto had become selfish afterwards. But, Jiraiya had noticed during their time together, that the boy had become that much more jaded. He offered his bright grin to everyone, but sometimes, especially during the night, the boy would disappear. Jiraiya had followed him silently for a few times, before realizing the purpose of the blonde. He never once intruded after that.

Naruto would go for long walks alone. If there was any sort of forest nearby, he would be found in the uppermost branches of one of the tallest trees. He would stare out, blankly, his eyes unfocused, and glassy. Jiraiya knew what he was thinking about. Over and over again, their battle, the battle where Naruto had fought so hard against Sasuke, to just make him _see_, would pass invisibly though his mind. Naruto had no doubt memorized every move, every breath, every strain of muscle, pain of impact, and the draw of draining chakra. The back of his mind would whisper what could have been done differently, how he could have avoided an attack, or made an offense, anything to have Sasuke hit the ground first. Only by losing, would the Uchiha have acknowledged his strength of will.

Sometimes, the bottomless blue eyes would flash, flames licking outward from the blue depths. Jiraiya knew then, that the Kyuubi was conversing with the boy. He had returned one night, completely different. His outward appearance had been unchanged, but there was something different about the way he walked, the way he held himself, the way he smiled. Naruto had struck some sort of deal with the Kyuubi during one of those nights. And it was painful for Jiraiya to admit to himself, that he had been too afraid to ask what the deal might have been.

Naruto had grown on him. Like some kind of parasitic fungus, Naruto had grown on him. He had not wanted to get attached to the boy, he knew what the consequences of such attachments could be. For years, he had distanced himself from people like Naruto, becoming a wandering hermit. Now, he could only look upon the boy as a child who he would watch over and take care of to the best of his ability. After all, the kid was veritably a grandson to him.

It was sad, how much he had allowed the turning of Orochimaru to change him. Tsunade was much the same, having lost too much to try to gain anything else, for fear of losing that as well. So, the great Sannin group had dispersed, and all had known, that they would never be together again. Their camaraderie had been destroyed, and none would try to repair it.

Naruto had been different. He had tried, and he had kept trying to restore what had appeared to be irreparable damage to their group. Jiraiya had never seen anyone so determined, so very close to their cell team. Then again, it had been all Naruto had ever been apart of. It had been the beginning of everything else Naruto had gained. The boy had probably treasured Sasuke's friendship above all else. So, the blonde would sacrifice, and forfeit, and surrender himself utterly to the task of retrieving Sasuke, no matter what the consequences might be.

Jiraiya knew that it had been his cowardice, his lack of action, that had allowed things to go as far as they had. If he had not been so stubborn, so afraid of losing the boy in the first place, Naruto would never have had to leave. The council could never have stood up to both the Hokage and himself, both members of the legendary Sannin team, if they had so willed it. But, he had fled. He had escaped into his dubious hobby which brought him no joy or pleasure. Instead, it left him feeling empty, knowing what it had been that he had run from. By the time he had returned, it had been too late, and he had become powerless to stop it. He had to face the penalties of what his inaction had wrought. Naruto was gone.

Even the Hyuuga girl had done more. She had fought on behalf of the blonde, even at the cost of the ostracism from the villagers, she hadn't cared. Her face had been flush from the vehemence of her arguments, and her stutter had vanished in the exuberance of her arguments. She had made valid points and revealed the flaws of exile to them. Still, it had not been enough.

After that, he had put all of his time and effort into tracing the Akatsuki and their motives. They had become unbearably quiet after their acquisition of the blonde leaf nin. For two years, he had heard almost nothing from them. The entire group of missing nins were keeping to themselves. Suddenly, just yesterday, a group of them had left the main compound, all of their chakra subdued and each wearing heavy cloaks that obscured them completely from view. He could not identify any of the moving shinobi, but he recognized their skill in concealment. These were ninjas who did not want to be seen.

He abandoned the close up espionage and retreated back, but by then, they had disappeared from his range. Definitely some of the higher ranked Akatsuki members, he realized, to have eluded him so quickly. He abandoned the compound immediately. A few toads were left behind. In case the Akatsuki tried anything from the compound itself, he would know immediately. He had returned directly to Konoha to discover the awakening of the Uchiha. It was far to convenient to be coincidental. Now he wondered, what was the purpose of the Uchiha.

Had the dark haired nin truly returned to Konoha's ranks once more, or did he remain a puppet of the Akatsuki? He couldn't erase his suspicion of the Uchiha, nor give him the benefit of the doubt. Too much was riding on the boy, he had become too valuable a resource, yet Jiraiya did not trust him. He had heard that since the boy's awakening, he had been asking for Naruto.

Jiraiya didn't like it. Something was amiss about Sasuke's lack of information, as well as the recent activities of Akatsuki, given that, when the group had first stepped out of the compound, the direction they faced had been directed toward Konoha itself.

Tsunade was staring at him expectantly. Well, it was time to explain himself.

-:- -:- -:-

Sai lounged bored on the roof of Konoha's hospital. He had been appointed by Danzou-sama as one of the Uchiha's guards. He idly swung one leg as it hung over the ledge of the roof. He didn't see what was so special about the boy. The Uchiha was simply a weak bastard. Nothing more to it.

Still, Danzou-sama had been insistent on this. He wondered why.

A shadow fell over him. He looked up, not at all surprised to see another masked ANBU towering over his slouched form. Ah, it was it partner in this baby-sitting, "Yamato-san". Hn, why even bother with these names? Call him ANBU leader A for all he cared. The names were only labels anyway. Might as well make them efficient. He grinned up through his own mask, knowing that it still would look just as fake with or without his mask on, without the emotion to back it up.

"Yamato-san." He greeted, a smile in his voice. Sai briefly marveled over what his own designation would be. ANBU-R 1 maybe? He did belong to the Root squad of the ANBU, and he was the best. But Danzou-sama was their leader.

"Sai." The answering nod. "No change in his condition. The genjutsu is working fine." Yamato turned his head, peering past Konoha's walls, which could easily be done from their high vantage point. The hospital was _tall_, perhaps not such a good idea as it made an easy target, but at the time of it's design, the builders found it easier to expand upwards, instead of outwards. Incredibly, though, rarely had the hospital suffered true damage. The hospital had been sturdily built.

Yamato knew the point of guarding the Uchiha, he had been requested by the Hokage herself, but he couldn't help but think that he'd be more useful in the field, rather than on guard duty. He sighed. A job was a job though.

Below him, he effortlessly spotted a slow-moving grey dot. An easily recognizable grey dot. It seemed it was Kakashi's turn to visit the Uchiha.

-:- -:- -:-

The two stoic ninjas stood across from each other in the room.

Gaara had already learned most of what he had wanted from the Hokage herself. He knew of Sasuke's crimes, the recovery period, and the trial date, as well as the Uchiha's current condition. Konoha was a "soft" country in his mind. They would wait until the accused was in a state of relative health before administering them to something as taxing as a trial. If it had been in Suna, the Uchiha would have been put on trial the moment he had awakened. Then again, Gaara was much less considerate of the Uchiha's mental and physical condition than the Hokage. He was, after all, still considered a Leaf nin by many inhabitants of Fire Country.

Neji, however, was brimming with questions. So much was kept secret in Konoha, even to elite ANBU-ranked shinobi such as himself. Tsunade-sama had not wanted to spread unrest upon the learning of Sasuke's true crimes. Much of the information he held had been painfully extrapolated from various sources, as well as research on his own part. Naruto had kept his mouth uncharacteristically shut whenever the subject of Sasuke had been broached. Neji had sensed easily, that the blonde had cared much for Sasuke's welfare, even if the Uchiha was undeserving of it. Naruto had not wanted the villagers to hate Sasuke, so whatever had happened before and after the Valley of the End, the intense battle between the two of them, remained a secret between the two of them.

This had not stopped the persistent Hyuuga, though. If anything, it made him more desirous of that knowledge. He _had_ to know. At the same time, he hadn't wanted to hurt the blonde. So, for Naruto's sake, he had backed off his investigation slightly. He researched in secret, and whatever he uncovered, he kept to himself. It was not to say that certain knowledge did not make him boil in rage at the thought of it, but he had the tremendous willpower to suppress the urge to murder the Uchiha as he slept, unaware, in his healing coma.

Now things were slightly different. If he could, he would extract as many answers from the red-haired nin as possible, just as he was sure the Sand nin would want the same from him.

-:- -:- -:-

Outside the genius' room, Hinata stood quiet. The two powerful ninjas had been oblivious to her presence, as they had been more focused on other things. She held a hand to her mouth, hardly daring to breathe.

Naruto.

Everything had always come down to Naruto. She had so much respect for the blonde. It had broken her heart to hear of his exile, and the Konoha High Coucil had been deaf to the pleas of the heiress of one of the most prominent Houses of Konoha. She had tried to get them to revoke their sentence, she had fought their decision on every level, every day.

Kiba had helped her. He had helped so much. He stood beside her as she fought, and he stood outside the door, always waiting for her if he couldn't follow her into the inner chambers. He had been banned at one point when the council had infuriated them and Akamaru had pinned one of the members, snarling in the old man's face. Hinata had not blamed Kiba. That man had said such cruel things, had blatantly _lied_ about Naruto. The old man had claimed that Naruto had strong ties to the Akatsuki, he had been born as one of them. That Naruto had never held any loyalty for Konoha, and the villagers had been right to hate him. After all, Naruto was nothing more than a demon's bastard child. She hadn't believed him.

She knew the blonde, not as well as others, maybe, but the boy had been a true person. Naruto always held strong to what he believed in, never retreating or conceding. He held a strength that Hinata had always admired, from the very first time she had seen him. He had always acted the goof, but she knew, that deep down, Naruto was a strong and valiant soul. There had been nothing to gain acting as he did, but he had wanted the recognition of others, so he had done all he knew as a child to acquire it.

She had been weak, she always had. She had looked to Naruto for his strength, and when the time had come for her to try to help him, she had failed. He had fought on her behalf when Neji had still held his animosity toward her. Naruto had helped him become a better person, and they had become closer because of it. They were more like a brother and sister thanks to him. She only wanted to help him, and she had spent all of her time trying to improve herself so that one day, she would be strong enough to help him.

Too much was interplaying too quickly. She was heightenly aware that something was about to happen, and it would involve Naruto.

She bit her lower lip. Her fingers played absently along one of the hems of her Jounin vest. She had failed once before. This time, she prayed that she would be strong enough to help. She couldn't fail him anymore.

-:- -:- -:-

"Five ninjas." Tsunade repeated stoically, as if trying to reaffirm herself than questioning Jiraiya's information.

The Toad Sannin nodded. He understood her surprise. It was a well known fact that the Akatsuki highly favored to work in pairs. The skilled ninjas were powerful alone, but in pairs, they would be nearly unbeatable, and they were paired up so as to complement each other. It was an efficient strategy for a group of limited numbers. Thus, it was so unusual for a group, especially one of an odd number, to leave the compound toward a single destination. Perhaps they were to collaborate several missions at once, but the Hokage had the sinking feeling that the five Akatsuki members had only one destination in mind.

"Is it possible that one of them remains unpaired?" She asked, concealing the worry in her voice.

He nodded. "It's possible." _But unlikely_. They both ignored the silent addition. They understood what the odd number might mean.

It _had_ been two years. Many of the strongest ninjas could be broken by torture, sometimes in only days. Sometimes it took weeks. There was little doubt that an inexperienced genin could survive years of it without damage. The odds against the boy were overwhelming.

"Naruto…" Jiraiya murmured. He swallowed thickly. There was something so disconcerting about meeting his former pupil once more. He should have been joyous…no, that wasn't right. Concerned? How much had he changed? What did the Akatsuki want at all?

Even with the reemergence of Orochimaru, he had never been so hesitant. There was something so special about the boy. He was unique. It would be painful, he knew, to see him again. How far had the young genin he had known drifted? What would Arashi have said? What would he have done? If he could see Naruto now, what would Arashi do? A battle between them and the Akatsuki? The missing-nin clan had sent some of their most powerful, he was sure. And Naruto was amongst them. It was the only way to explain the odd number. _No_ Akastuki member went unpaired, and there was no one compatible enough with Naruto, even if they had broken him down and rebuilt him. He closed his eyes. _I'm sorry, Ara-kun_.

Jiraiya breathed deeply, opening his eyes. He fixed a strange stare on the current Hokage. She easily matched his gaze.

"So, Tsunade, taking any bets?" He let his lips curl into a smirk.

She smiled back, mirthlessly. "I'd bet on them."

-:- -:- -:-

Kakashi sighed through his mask. Shizune would demand blood for this. Tsunade would have his head on a pike. But there was no other way. Despite his words earlier to the Academy teacher, some things _had_ to be done by one's self. He had learned long ago that sitting on the sidelines and not helping others was the fastest way to lose those most precious to you. His father hadn't hesitated to save a friend. _He_ had hesitated, and because of it, he had lost the closest friend he ever would have had. He closed his eyes, feeling one lid shut slowly over his left eye, his scarred eye. The eye that didn't belong to him, but was the dearest gift of…

He winced slightly as his chakra blazed. He almost smiled. Sometimes, it was almost as if Obito had never died. Sometimes, he thought he could almost feel the emotions of his old teammate in that eye. Whenever he used it, when the eye was imbued with his chakra, it seemed to resonate with something else, some other chakra that was most definitely not his. He supposed that was one reason the eye had worked so well with him, why he could increase it's powers even if it had not been his to begin with. Using parts amputated from another person or creature always had it's drawbacks, it's weaknesses, but the eye, the eye acted as if it had _wanted_ to work with him. And that was fine with Kakashi. He knew that it was the will of his teammate that made it so, and for that, he couldn't have been more thankful.

Ever since then, he had tried to hone his skills, tried to grow stronger to protect the ideals of his comrades, the ideals that had become his own. He held them close.

He would help out again. Perhaps Tsunade knew what she was going to allow to happen by setting Sasuke into a comatose state until the trial date, but she was bound by the rules, the law, and the responsibility of the Hokage. Jiraiya, if he hadn't become so inexplicably jaded by past events with the Uchiha, would have done the same as he was attempting to do, Kakashi was sure.

The silver-haired jounin saw too much of himself in the boy, too much of what he could have become. It wasn't too late, he knew it for a fact. Sasuke was cold, but it was because he knew no other way. He had opened up the most around Naruto, but once the blonde presence was removed, he clammed up once more. There would be no opening up this time, but Sasuke needed to learn a few things. He would finish teaching the boy. If Sasuke still could not see the reason behind it all, then Kakashi would have truly have failed. If it ever reached that point, he would destroy the boy himself. But for now, there was a chance, and that was all that mattered to him.

Slowly, he lifted the lowered part of his hitai-ate and opened the lid of his left eye. He could feel the foreign chakra of the eye thrum along with his. His lips curled upwards. _I'm glad you agree with me, Obito_.

He grasped his right wrist with his left hand, and concentrated. The palm of his right hand began to glow a vibrant blue.

-:- -:- -:-

The flare of chakra alerted the two posted ANBU immediately. Something was heading toward Konoha.

Three birds took flight. The messenger birds headed straight toward the Hokage.

ANBU were rushing toward the Hokage monument, others were racing toward the outskirts of the village. The air was instantly electrified with the taint of fear and adrenaline.

Summoned beasts appeared within the village, hastily posted by hurried ninjas.

Sai's brush moved fluidly over the spread parchment on his lap. A roar shook the roof of the hospital as a legion of ink creatures exploded from the scroll. Sai held his face impassive behind his mask. It wasn't preemptive of them. No, something far too dangerous was approaching Konoha.

Yamato was just as wary, he could tell. The older masked ANBU had his hands clasped, his fingers moving in rapid succession, signs formed and reformed faster than even Sai's skilled eyes could follow.

Huge vines burst from the ground surrounding Konoha's walls. They entwined around each other in complex patterns, forming an intricate weave before seamlessly sealing over themselves and against Konoha's walls. A reinforced barrier.

The ANBU took a step back, almost stumbling. He had drained himself in forming that barrier, but it was necessary. _Something_ was coming. It was unlike anything he had ever sensed before, even when the Great Ninetails had ravaged Konoha. Back then, the demon aura had been awesome and terrible. It was an intense raw force that had burnt at any outlet it had been given. Great sweeps of any single tail had uprooted chunks of the forest. The immense trees that were the treasure of Fire Country were sent flying, decimating not only regions of the village, but scores of their talented and brave shinobi.

Kyuubi had been a beast, but what was coming was worse. The two ANBU were amazed that the chakra had come so close before they noticed it. Kyuubi had been a mere animal compared to this fearsome chakra. This was a monster.

-:- -:- -:-

"ANBU squads A, C, and E to the East Gate. B and D to the North and West Gates. Second ranked ANBU to the South gate. All available Chuunins start evacuating the civilians to the lower levels. Second ranked Jounin, guard them. First and third class jounin come with me."

Tsunade's bellowing voice could be heard above the screams of alarms and sirens. She was flushing out any free ninja she could. Danzou had his own hands full with the Root Squad ANBU. She trusted him enough to take care of his end. Meanwhile, she was calling out all the stops.

Time and time again, Konoha had been razed by the Akatsuki. This was no time for excess precaution, rather, they needed to amass their available manpower. Any and all guards, fighters, anyone. Their ranks had been decimated before by the Akatsuki. They couldn't underestimate the power of those missing nins, especially if what they suspected was coming toward them. It was almost impossible to predict what was to come.

-:- -:- -:-

Kakashi staggered backward, his left hand gripping his the left side of his head. His vision swam for a moment. The blaring sirens were muffled in his drowsed state. "Kami must be with you today." He muttered, his right hand groping for the bedrail before he lost his balance. His knees gave out and he collapsed gracelessly to the floor.

He was far from medic nin material, and transfusing his chakra to that of the unconscious boy as he broke the powerful genjutsu on him had drained him terribly. "Shit." He muttered. He hadn't thought that there would be an attack so soon. He had expected as much as Sasuke had awoken, but this was fast, even for the Akatsuki. It had only been one day…

-:- -:- -:-

Neji had already had his bird mask secured over his face and was out of the Hyuuga compound before the first siren had sounded. His sword had been hastily, but firmly, fastened to his back as he had changed from his standard haori, to the ANBU uniform he greatly disliked, in a flurry of dark cloth.

He hadn't needed to look behind him to know that Gaara had already disappeared in a swirl of sand, probably materializing at the source of the commotion or somewhere near it.

He pressed his fingers together in a familiar series of signs and quickly followed in a puff of smoke.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata was no slower leaving the compound but she wasn't as fast as her cousin. She trailed behind slightly. A loud bark to her side made her swivel her head in surprise. Akamaru was racing beside her, Kiba riding atop him with his sharpened teeth bared in an animalistic snarl. His slitted eyes gave her a sideways glance and he held his hand out. She gripped it and he hauled her up behind him. Her arms wound around his waist for purchase and Kiba urged Akamaru faster.

His nose itched. Whatever was coming, couldn't be good.

-:- -:- -:-

Shikamaru stood over the battlement with furrowed brows. Something wasn't adding up. Ever since Sasuke had awoken, he had been keeping silent tabs on all those who had been close to either him or Naruto when they had been genins. It had been a lot of work for the uncharacteristically lazy ninja, but he had stood still before, and Naruto had been sent away. He knew that everyone had shared some level of guilt about it, but he had thought, he should have seen it coming, seen it sooner, instead of having the blonde drop the bombshell on them all the _hour_ before he had left Konoha's walls.

He had put more effort in his analysis of Konoha and the Akatsuki. Something was strange. From the very beginning he had sensed the wrongness of it all. The motives of the Akatsuki had always been unclear. They desired power, but for what end? To prove themselves strongest? They garnered the most elite and talented of ninjas from countries all over the continent to them. They were one of the most powerful ninja forces from sheer talent alone. They had nothing to prove since each and every one of their members already had established reputations within from within their former countries, and even beyond that. Sometimes they would actively seek out others, or items, or knowledge. Many times they would remain quiet, waiting or doing nothing.

The Akatsuki conflicted and contradicted themselves with every turn.

Shikamaru had been suspicious for a while, but he had begun to think that schisms were beginning to form within the group of missing ninja. For a while their activities had been erratic, then nothing for a long time. Eventually, the planned attacks on Konoha had come around. Their target had obviously been the Kyuubi, but Shikamaru had never expected that they would have wanted the demon's container as well. He had hoped, that once they had discovered that the extraction of the demon from the vessel would be nearly impossible, that they would cease their advances. Reason had told him that they would not.

They had obtained and held his friend, and once again become quiet. He could only imagine what they had done to him. Naruto…

Now, the chakra that electrified the very air, sent horrible shivers down his spine. He had felt something like it before, but his vast memory had failed him. He couldn't recall the energy. But his body's instinctual reaction of fear to it, sent him on edge. He _knew_ that it was bad. He just wasn't aware of how bad it could be.

He crouched down and folded his fingers. Might as well prepare for the worst.

Beside him, he could see Chouji's serious expression. One hand was placed liberally over a large pouch at his waist. The latest brand of soldier pills produced by the Akimichi family. Highly effective, he knew for a fact. He himself had helped them a bit in working out some of the kinks between the body to chakra reaction. This brand had two current versions, one that would give the person inhuman abilities for a short period of time, or unbelievable endurance of a long period of time. There had been some issues with the combination of pills, but he was sure that Chouji had trained to make it possible for it to work on his system. He, and he alone would have the body system capable of handling the double pill combination.

Chouji gave him a glance and a small nod. Shikamaru nodded back and was rewarded with Chouji's bright smile.

"Doin' it for him." He muttered.

"Yeah." Shikamaru replied.

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke's eyes snapped open.

Amidst the screaming sirens he could feel it. He slid easily out of bed with a strength he hadn't felt for a very long time, not since before he had reached Orochimaru. Within that serpent's den, he had only felt cold, weakness, and loneliness. Not once had he felt an ounce of strength that he had known he had possessed. The snake's presence was perpetually taxing, draining him further the longer he stayed there. He wasn't sure what he was now, but it certainly was much different than what he had left as.

His bare feet hit the cold floor and he peered down, looking at the fallen form of his former sensei. Kakashi held his left eye shut but peered upward at Sasuke with his right eye.

"Get to the Eastern Wall." He said softly. Just beyond it…they're coming…" He murmured, breathing heavily.

Sasuke gave the jounin a curt nod. He understood. Kakashi was trying to make things right in his own way. Right now, Sasuke had to act. He had to act like the ninja of Konoha he was supposed to be. Until then, he didn't deserve to see Naruto ever again.

-:- -:- -:-

Neji stopped short. He had passed over the Eastern wall mere moments ago, his feet flying as he took to the trees. Just before him, he saw a wildly swirling mass of sand bounding from tree to tree. Gaara.

Below he could hear the pounding of Akamaru's paws and wasn't surprised to see his younger cousin and the Inuzuka boy riding atop the oversized dog.

He picked up his pace.

White eyes widened slightly at the buzzing from his right. A black mass traveled in time with him, or more accurately, in time with the Inuzuka below them. It was the Aburame heir, Shino. The swarm of bugs moved as skillfully as Gaara's sand. He hadn't noticed the growing strength of the bug master, but he assumed that it was the way Shino was, inconspicuous until he attacked. An excellent ninja ploy. Those two would keep his cousin safe. He focused his attention at the growing chakra signal ahead of him.

-:- -:- -:-

Sakura saw the dark shadow dart out from the upper windows of the hospital. She was supposed to be on her way to meet with the evacuees as she was still a Chuunin and a budding medic nin, but she recognized that shadow. She slid her gloves over her hands without much thought, and followed Sasuke.

Doubtless Iruka-sensei would worry over her like a mother hen when she didn't show up, regardless of how many evacuees he was taking care of at the time, he just had that ability. She tore off one glove and bit her exposed thumb. Her fingers flew into the practiced hand signs as she pressed her bleeding hand to the ground. A fourteen inch long slug appeared in a puff of smoke. Decently sized, it should have the power to meet Iruka. She gave it her short message and was running again.

Inwardly, she thanked Kami that her summon had worked well. Normally, she had only been able to summon two-inchers, something Tsunade found too funny. Her mentor had begun to take bets on how long the summoned slug would be. Sometimes, Sakura found herself slightly regretting signing the slug contract with how Tsunade sometimes acted about it.

Sasuke had disappeared far in front of her, but Sakura knew where he would be heading. The chakra was emanating so powerfully from that one point, it was like a beacon; something almost unheard of in the world of subtlety of the shinobi. It gave her chills that whatever was out there was so bold as to not bother to hide their presence. Konoha's strength, though diminished, was by no means weak. The Akatsuki was taunting them.

-:- -:- -:-

The hooded ninja stood within the small copse of trees, seemingly oblivious of the masked shinobi that surrounded him. He stood all alone in the center, the heavy cloak obscuring all discernable features besides that of height. His hood carefully shadowed his face from all onlookers. His hands hung limply at his sides.

None of the ANBU approached him, nor did the intruder make a move to acknowledge their presence. For the whole time since they had arrived, the stranger had not moved a single muscle, and that made them especially wary since it was apparent that the hooded figure was the source of the fearsome chakra. But, it wasn't that the ANBU had not dared to come any closer, but rather, that they couldn't. Something about the stranger's chakra held them still. Within a certain radius of the intruder, all of the ANBU were forced to stop where they were.

Neji and Gaara arrived to find the stalled ANBU, but were unsure of why the ANBU had stopped. They were able to move freely within the chakra, and they had moved in closer than the rest. The trained eyes of the ANBU saw the slight shiver of the stranger.

"…Ne…ji? Gaa…ra…?" A tremulous voice asked, his head tilted slightly.

The named ninjas froze, eyes widening. It couldn't be. There was no way that it could have been so easy. The voice had been too quiet, too melodious, but something about it had struck them both as familiar. They knew that voice.

It wasn't possible that perhaps…

The stranger stiffened suddenly. He stood up straighter and turned around slowly. The vibrant chakra darkened considerably. He pulled off his hood suddenly, revealing a mop of unruly white hair. He smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before." His tone was pleasant. "My name is Sasori, and I'm a stranger to these woods." His eyes lingered a moment on Gaara. His smile transformed into a grin. "I do believe that you've met my grandmother, haven't you, Gaa-chan?"

The Kazekage stiffened. Sasori ignored him.

"Mm, but enough with the pleasantries. I am searching for a wayward jinchuuriki that belongs to us. You haven't seen him, have you? He goes by the name of 'Naruto'."

_End Chapter Two_

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

Shrimpy: SAY HELLO TO MY 10000 WORD FILLER! Sorry about that. It got weird while I was writing, and A LOT of what I wanted to happen got pushed to chapter three. So I can easily promise that things will get more interesting next chapter, like say, the introduction and continuation of the plot. Anyways, a few notes on this. Mostly, I was introducing a lot of character interaction to show how things are, and maybe hint at some conflincts that would happen later on. About Danzou, Sai, Yamato, and Sasori, sorry if they're acting a bit out of character, but this was how I perceived them to be. About Ryuu, um...I really really really did NOT want to put in an OC, but I basically needed some chopped liver in there. Someone who wouldn't know of Naruto, though that's almost impossible given the circumstances. So, I made him out to be kind of young, so not too given into the prejudices against the beloved blonde, and also highly ranked with odd hobbies. He won't be appearing much, but he will show up on the rare occasion that something especially stupid happens.

This chapter was basically pretty straight-forward, only with a lot of scene changes, and rushing the appearance of Sasori. Yeah, I know we first see him as some ancient hunchback, but I like the appearance of his puppet form better. If the whole hinting at Naruto but it turns out to be Sasori thing is confusing, it will clear up next chapter. I don't think there will be too many questions about this, but feel free to ask any ways. Oh, and to those of you who reviewed with questions and suggestions, thank you so much. I received and loved every one of them. I had tried to reply, but ff was being gay to me, and kept erroring. Hopefully things will work out better. I have added in some of the suggestions in a kind of round about way.

And, one last thing, I'm thanking Fry for her fantastic lightening editing. I was slow in writing this chapter, so I finished it today. She beta'd it quickly and sent it back the same day. THANK YOU FRY, I LOVE YOU AND YOUR RUSH EDITING!

Fry: (snore)

Shrimpy: See ya in March!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: He Reaps What He Sows**

_The nights in Suna were surprisingly cold. The desert carried the extremes of climate during the day and night, hot and cold, respectively. However, this particular night was shockingly freezing. Gaara could already see a bit of frost forming in a white sheen over the sand, icing what bit of moisture was in the air._

_His own breath escaped his lips in small puffs of white cloud. It used to fascinate him as a child. He could hardly feel the cold, but he knew it was cold outside, at least for normal people. Many villagers thought that his body would be icy to the touch, but the demon within him always kept his body feverishly hot. He didn't mind. It had its advantages. It made things such as searching the desert in the dead of night much easier, and he wouldn't be encumbered by some huge fuzzy coat._

_He had been wandering aimlessly for hours, and had yet to locate him. Gaara found it strange since he had always been somewhat aware of where the other boy was. It had something to do with Shuukaku, he was sure. _

_Feeling somewhat tired, he paused, his emotionless face turned upward, toward the large, round circle of full moon hanging in the sky. A tiny shape was silhouetted against it, and Gaara briefly wondered why it had taken so long to find the blonde. After all, sitting atop one of Suna's sand pillars had also been one his own favored places to be when one needed time to think._

-:- -:- -:-

Gaara's head swung to the left. His eyes narrowed slightly. He returned his attention toward the hooded boy. "Sasori." He repeated softly.

The pale-haired boy smirked.

"You're a puppet." The redhead stated tonelessly.

Sasori's eyebrows widened. "Oh ho? Right of the bat, you could tell. Surprising." His lips curled in an appreciative smile briefly. "Chiyo-baa-san certainly did a good job with you." He said absently. "Mm, but as a fellow jinchuuriki, I'm sure you could point me in the correct direction of our wayward pet."

Green eyes hardened. This 'Sasori' was too easy-going. He had called Chiyo-sama his grandmother. It was possible that they were related, he mused, not at all thrown off by Sasori's youthful appearance. Something about his manner was off. Sasori had yet to move, either toward or away from them, this whole time. "He's a decoy. Go north, now." Gaara murmured to Neji, his lips unmoving.

Sasori's sharp eyes caught the lack of motion, and he smiled, doing nothing.

Neji disappeared as Hinata and her team showed up. Kiba growled as Akamaru snarled. Neither liked the smell of the hooded boy. Shino's shaded eyes were unreadable, but the bugs beneath his skin swarmed. Instinctively, they all realized how dangerous the young looking boy was.

"He left so soon. Well, it couldn't be helped. _You_ were the only one I was supposed to detain." He looked over at Gaara with a grin. "And you knew too. Clever boy."

Shino moved suddenly, a swarm of insects flowing from his hood, they encircled himself and his teammates as Hinata moved into a familiar position.

_Hakke Shou Kaiten!_

As one, the frozen ANBU collapsed around them, falling into ungainly heaps onto the ground. Something retracted back to Sasori, the sound of dozens of threads sliding under his cloak.

Sand writhed around Gaara's feet, drawing back from its automatic shield around the Kazekage.

Sasori gave the remaining ninjas a speculative look. "Hm…four of you who noticed. Not bad, for Konoha."

-:- -:- -:-

A blonde head poked over the edge of the parapet.

"Eh?" His one visible eye widened in what appeared to be genuine surprise. "There are actually people guarding out _here_?" He asked incredulous. He flipped over the edge. "Damn, I was hoping I could be quick about it too." He frowned, resting his hands on his hips. "Well, no other choice then."

Shikamaru and Chouji regarded the newcomer suspiciously. They couldn't shake the feeling that they were being toyed with, which was probably the case, if the cloud pattered black cloak of the intruder was any indication. An Akatsuki member had scaled the wall effortlessly, easily bypassing both Sai's ink demons and Yamato's vine barricade in reaching the top. However, he seemed surprised that two lone ninja's were waiting at the top for him.

He squinted at them and tilted his head. "Hey, are you guys…" He glanced down at his palm, as if reading something. "Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji?"

The pair tensed slightly.

"Well, are you? Are you? Say 'yes'. It'd make my job sooo much easier." He grinned wickedly.

They frowned.

-:- -:- -:-

A shadow darted before him, incredibly fast. It was unimaginable how quickly the shadow moved. Had the person actually been fleeing from him, Neji would have lost sight of him long ago. Instead, the hooded figure darted back and forth, zig-zagging in between the trees, often pausing for a moment to look back.

Had the person given off any malicious aura, Neji would have known he was being toyed with. However, he sensed nothing from the figure, and he received the strangest impression of confusion from it. How odd.

-:- -:- -:-

Hinata panted. The jutsu she had just used had been painstakingly learned from her elder cousin. She had only been able to execute the move correctly, recently. It still took so much out of her to perform it even once. Still, she held her stance, ready to implement the jutsu once more if she sensed any sign of offense from their strange opponent.

She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Kiba, had placed his hand on her, his eyes still trained ahead of him. Next to her, Shino had given her a small nod. With a gentle push, Hinata was behind them. She had protected them from Sasori's attack. She had done what she had needed to do, now they would fall back into their respective places in their cell group.

Hinata was their scout, their long ranged specialist. Kiba would go in as their offense, and Shino would play the middleman, part defense and offense as the situation allowed for.

Akamaru gave a soft growl, hunching forward. Kiba gave a feral grin.

Sasori smiled back.

-:- -:- -:-

Tsunade's head snapped upward. Jiraiya's eyes already were focused in the direction of the east. A huge chakra was moving. For a moment it seemed that there was total silence, the shouts of ninja and the sounds on the battlement being eclipsed by the awesome aura. It was stunning that such a force could have erupted so suddenly, looming so closely over Konoha. Then it vanished as quickly as it had come, and with it, the two Sannin were already off in the direction the chakra had last come from.

-:- -:- -:-

Panic fueled Neji's sprint. The figure was moving faster now, almost desperate in his pace. The path was still erratic, but there seemed to be a single destination in mind, and as the trees along the route became more and more familiar, Neji's heart began to race.

It couldn't be…it just couldn't…

But, it was possible.

The shadow darted back and forth, criss-crossing his path through the trees. Neji followed easily now, realizing the path, and yet almost hoping that it wasn't. He retained his guard, not allowing himself to be lulled into thinking that he knew the way, yet he did.

Sweat lined his brow beneath the mask. He berated himself, knowing that it was a mistake to believe only what he could see. In the realm of ninjas, nothing was what it seemed. It was a lesson instilled to each and every ninja as a child. He wouldn't allow himself to relax, yet the nearer they drew, the faster his heart began to beat. His lips thinned behind his mask.

White eyes followed the darting figure intensely as he tread the thin line between excitement and fear, his blood pumping too hard for him to distinguish the difference between the two. It was possible…

They were headed toward Naruto's home within the woods.

-:- -:- -:-

"Aya! You guys have no appreciation for art!" Deidara chastised, reaching into his sleeves. He drew out a handful of paper butterflies, blowing them in the Konoha ninja's directions.

Both dashed out of the way, surprisingly fast and instinctively wary. Exploding tags decorated the white butterflies as they fluttered toward their targets.

Shikamaru slapped his hand onto the wall, black rivulets bunching around his wrist. He sent out the collected shadows in thin ribbons, arcing from the wall in a tangible form. Mentally he cursed the failing daylight. The shadows were becoming longer, but weaker. The butterflies soon flitted out of range.

He sent out a thinner ribbon racing toward Deidara, knowing that the move was fruitless. The Akatsuki member knew their weaknesses well, and had slipped far from range of Shikamaru's shadows. He perched on the edge of the wall, swinging his feet and grinning, his smirk widening as the tip of Shikamaru's shadow froze three inches shy from where he sat. The Nara drew his shadows back.

Chouji drew something from his pouch, popping the items into his mouth. He inhaled, facing toward the explosive tags, and exhaled. The butterflies were peppered with tiny projectiles, exploding on contact.

"Hyah, so boring to lot of you are. Not entertaining at all. But you_ are_ Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji, right? I'm not wasting my time, right?" The blonde taunted idly.

"Tch!" Shikamaru frowned. "So noisy. So troublesome." He stood, slouching, sliding his hands into his pockets. He was tired, and all the brat seemed to be doing was toy with them. The battle would go no where. "It's polite to introduce oneself first, before making demands." He said bored.

"Oh!" The blonde's eye widened, smacking a fist into his palm. "You're right!" He smiled, almost sweetly. "Deidara of the Akatsuki!" He announced with a half salute. "And I'm supposed to ask you to being me to the Hokage right away! I have a message to deliver."

-:- -:- -:-

The cabin!

Unmistakable. It was there, and Neji knew for sure than this wasn't some genjutsu. His own senses had been extended to maximum capacity during the entire chase, seeking and searching for some clue to the cloaked figure.

The person perched on the pointed roof of the cabin, crouched on all fours like an animal. It seemed to study him, though Neji had yet to emerge from the shadows of the trees. He had concealed himself, but he had long since figured out that the figure's own natural senses had far exceeded his own. Perhaps he was similar to Kiba in that he used chakra to enhance his senses.

"Nnnn…"

Neji almost started. The slow, quiet sound had come from the figure, the first sound he had heard from the other.

"Nee…?"

He swallowed behind his mask. That voice…

"Negi?" The cloaked boy shook his head.

Neji stilled. Slowly, he slid his mask from his face, white eyes focused on the hooded figure. He stood from his perch on the tree branch, his form slipping from the camouflage of shadow and foliage. Head tilted to the side, the figure stood as well, pulling back his hood.

Spiky blonde locks, longer than they had been before, emerged from the concealment of brown cloth. His skin was paler than Neji remembered, rivaling Neji's own fair complexion, but the three whisker-like scars still adorned each cheek. His eyes, however, were blindfolded.

"Neji…" The boy said softly. "It's great to meet you again."

-:- -:- -:-

Kiba flew far, his body twisting in the air to land on his hands and feet as he snarled at his opponent. Across from him, Akamaru had been tossed in the other direction. Sasori's inhuman strength and puppet body had made him immune to many of their physical based attacks. But their senses weren't sharp enough to detect and attack his chakra.

Further away from both of them, Shino, stood, hands in his pockets, head bowed. His insects coiled around him in a darkened cloud, Hinata directly behind him. He was playing defensive for now, a deep gash running across his side, and another down Hinata's back.

Kiba growled, his slitted pupils contracting. Damn this puppet boy was _strong_.

Sand crashed in front of him in a heavy wave, making Kiba leap backward abruptly. He moved in time to see a pointed spike protrude from the sand wall.

Sasori withdrew the spiked limb, a teasing smirk spread across his face.

Gaara stood, creating a fourth point in a corner, surrounding the Akatsuki member in the middle. His face was impassive, but his lips were pressed shut tightly. Sasori's attacks were erratic and fast, utilizing all the benefits of a puppet body. The worst ability was that a puppet could not feel pain. So, despite the damage already dealt, the puppet continued to function, as long as it's chakra lines remained uncut.

Hinata had already been injured in one of their earlier attempts to track the chakra strings. Kiba refused to allow her to try again.

Sasori's head twisted suddenly, turning around unnaturally far. "Oh? He's found him already? That Hyuuga boy is skilled."

Hinata's eyes widened. Was Neji-nii-san in danger? She tried to calm herself. Neji was strong. No matter what happened, Neji was strong, she had to remember that because Neji would not allow himself to die until…

Sasori's body jerked, his head falling forward. "Neji…" He whispered.

A cloud of bugs descended quickly to a far corner. Sasori's body fell limp, collapsing in heap where he stood. It had been a true puppet, a decoy.

"Found me at last." A voice murmured. A cloaked figure detached himself from the shadows. Smiling, the real Sasori, stepped out fully from his concealment genjutsu, appearing out of nothingness. "I suppose I should not have let my guard down." He commented idly, shaking one hand. Shino's insects disconnected themselves from the arm, falling to the ground and crawling about on the forest floor in confused circles, following the broken chakra.

The bugs had been tracing the chakra. They were specialized insects Shino had bred for the express purpose of detecting concealed chakra. No matter how faint the trace, they could eventually find it. They had followed the chakra strings from the decoy puppet to the true wielder, and broken them.

"Hmm…" Sasori peered at the ground. Sighing, he patted his chest. Strings detached from the limp body in the middle of the clearing. He recollected the chakra the insects had broken, the strings coiling back within him.

"Not bad." He said to no one in particular. He moved to approach his puppet.

Sand swirled about him, entrapping him in a revolving cage. Gaara glared at him, his expression tight and angry. Confusion never suited the young Kazekage.

"No need to be so angry, Gaara-kun. My part is over. Deidara should be within Konoha now, and your friend has found our jinchuuriki. Calm down."

The sand exploded around him. Gaara didn't have the words to express what he wanted, but anger was forthright in his mind, and he knew how to express that very well. The whole time Sasori had just played with them. Neji must have found… He couldn't think it. But within him, Shuukaku was screaming. Another youma was nearby, and he knew he recognized it. What was Sasori's purpose, besides detaining them here?

Sasori sighed again. "Even if I am a puppet, sand is bothersome to this body. If you release me, I can show you what you want to know." His head tilted, eyes focused through the sand.

Reluctantly, Gaara dispersed his sand, stepping forward slowly. The sand writhed about his feet, assuring Sasori that one wrong move, and his puppet body would be torn to pieces. Sand encircled them both completely, covering the clearing as Gaara had spread it about during their battle. Sasori could not escape.

Sasori approached his decoy.

Akamaru growled from where he crouched. The scent assaulting his nose was agitating him. It was the scent of raw power. Chakra from something was growing.

The others sensed it as well, but by then Sasori was too close. He touched the decoy puppet. It exploded in a puff of grey smoke to reveal a brown cloaked figure, before that too disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Hinata's eyes widened. A bunshin? But of whom?

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Naruto…"

Sasori smirked.

-:- -:- -:-

"Aya! There's no one here?" Deidara wailed dramatically. "Damn it!" He cursed. He slumped into the Hokage's chair with a pout. "She was supposed to be here, shouting out orders to her shinobi underlings. Why did she have to be a woman of action?" He complained.

In the corner, Shikamaru and Chouji frowned. Shikamaru had known that Tsunade would have been at the front lines the moment they had secured the Konoha civilians. An Akatsuki member should have been able to sense her and know that she would not be in her office. Yet, Deidara had insisted, and now he pouted like a child. Shikamaru had held out a small hope that perhaps, someone would have remained near the Hokage office. But all available shinobi had been sent to various points of Konoha for battle.

Well, he would just have to rely on his bunshin to make it to the Hokage in time.

-:- -:- -:-

_Shit_!

The chakra disappeared suddenly from his senses. Sasuke froze, pausing on a tree branch, extending his senses as far as they could reach. A fluttering of pink fell under his scope.

"Sakura." He rose from his perch on the branch, dark eyes focused on a far tree.

From behind, Sakura slowly stepped out, a hint of challenge in her bright green orbs. "Where are you going?" She asked quietly, her eyes belying her calm tone. "You should be in Konoha Hospital, resting." Her voice was lined with a touch of suspicion. Why was he awake? No matter who the person, in Sasuke's condition, that genjutsu should have impaired him for another week, at least.

Sasuke stared at her in silence. He didn't have anything to say. He turned back to the east, the direction from which he had last sensed the chakra. But before he could take off, Sakura halted him with her words.

"Do you know what lays just east of Konohagakure? Within the woods, but hidden from all by shinobi?" She queried.

Sasuke didn't move. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Don't go there, Sasuke." She said softly, pleadingly. "Don't go."

He turned back to see her expression had saddened. Her face had become weary with worry. An apology flashed through her eyes.

Sakura clenched a fist. He may not have known it, but Sasuke had been traveling a direct path toward Naruto's old cabin. She couldn't allow him to make it there. After so much time had passed, still no one had done anything about it. No one had wanted to. It lingered as a testament to their failure, known only to the ninjas who had known him. But still, they should have done something about the cabin. Sasuke was in no state of mind to see it as it had remained. She would do what it took to stop him from seeing it.

"What are you doing up?" The voice interrupted them. Two puffs of smoke revealed the two Sannin who also had been in pursuit of the strange chakra.

Jiraiya glared at the dark-haired ninja. Past experiences had jaded him, and with the loss of Naruto, he had only become more suspicious of those willing to turn their back on their village and their friends, for whatever reason.

Sasuke glared back. He wouldn't be deterred from this. He _needed_ to see Naruto. It was the only reason that would keep him within Konoha. Naruto had to know.

A dark shape formed beside the Sannin, rising into the familiar form of the shadow-user. "Hokage-sama." Shikamaru's lazy voice reported.

"Shikamaru?" The bunshin had Tsunade's instant attention. She knew that the genius never sent his bunshin out unless he had a very good reason, and by the skill with which this bunshin had been created, it appeared urgent.

"Return to your office, Hokage-sama. There is a…guest waiting." Shikamaru said slowly. He had no wish to antagonize the Uchiha with who would be in the office at this time.

Tsunade raised a brow. Highly unusual. It would seem a tactical error to retreat now, but the Nara must have his reasons, and she trusted his judgment. She'd leave this to Jiraiya. She turned, eyeing him with a meaningful look. He nodded in reply. She turned once last glance over to the younger shinobi, and she disappeared back the way she came, following Shikamaru's bunshin.

"We should leave too, Sasuke," Sakura said softly. "Please, let's go back to Konoha. There is no battle ahead of you." She pointed out. "Besides, you still need to recuperate."

"I feel fine." He replied tonelessly. He turned his back on her and sprinted off.

"Sasuke!" Sakura followed, only to be over shot by the Toad Sannin.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jiraiya had surged forward and caught the younger ninja by the back of his voluminous collar. "You're confined to Konoha, or did you not remember?"

Sasuke shot him a venomous glare before turning into a log. Jiraiya's other arm shot out, catching a fleeing shadow. The glare he received for the second catch dripped with malice. "Let me go." He demanded softly.

"You wish." Jiraiya snorted. _Jeez, can't take your eyes of 'im for a second_. "You're coming with me, back to the hospital."

Sasuke shrugged out of his shirt, dropping to the ground. He shot the Sannin a poisonous glare before darting off again.

Jiraiya sighed scratching at his head. He could easily overtake the weakened Uchiha, but maybe the boy _should_ see what lay in that direction. He seemed so set on going there. He saw Sakura's apprehensive face out of the corner of his eyes. "Don't worry so much about him. I think I've figured out what's going on."

_Kami, I hope I'm wrong._

Sakura flashed him an uncertain look, but upon seeing the unmoving Sannin's face, she bowed her head in defeat. He'd see the cabin. He'd see how Naruto had spent his every waking hour. The cabin was littered with scrolls and reports, rumors, traces, scraps, anything related Sasuke. It covered the walls and floor, even the ceiling. It looked like the home of a madman, a person obsessed. And Naruto probably was. He was so determined to find Sasuke and bring him back. But Sasuke didn't need to see it.

"I'll head back to Konoha. See to the injured." She said quietly, clasping her hands in a simple jutsu and transporting herself back to the village.

Once the pink-haired healing nin was gone, Jiraiya clenched his jaw. "Akatsuki bastards." He hissed angrily. They seemed more for mind games than to actually have a point to their organization. Though this time, he sensed an urgency the Akatsuki had not possessed before. Something important was about to become unhinged.

-:- -:- -:-

Sand swarmed angrily around their 'prisoner'. Sasori was a prisoner in name only for he certainly didn't act like one. He took his time walking, though he had been the one to request that they venture to the Hokage office. Gaara left in an instant, almost leaving behind the leaf nins, but not before ensuring that their 'prisoner' would accompany them.

Shuukaku stirred within Gaara's consciousness, biting and snapping at the invisible bonds which melded it with human flesh and bone, limiting it. Shuukaku wanted something desperately, more so than any other time Gaara could remember. It unnerved Gaara that the youma was so active, and that he could feel it.

Naruto was close, and the Akatsuki were the links. He had hounded the group of missing nin to the best of his ability, but they had been able to keep frustratingly out of his grasp. They had been silent for two years. Why would they become active now? And to retarget Konoha without any real objective? Not only that, but they seemed to be more…mild than they had been in the past, less direct.

It had something to do with Naruto. They were sparing Konoha, playing with peaceful Fire Country. What did they want this time?

-:- -:- -:-

"Naruto?" Neji's byakugan scanned the body for falsity.

The blonde smirked. "Yeah, Neji. It's me." He patted himself lightly on the chest. "You using those creepy eyes of yours to check me out? Go ahead, but not under the clothes, okay? Don't need you getting all pervy on me." He laughed.

The Hyuuga schooled his face into an emotionless mask. He was having a difficult time accepting that it would be so easy, that Naruto would just reappear one day, complete and unharmed. But this Naruto was well, as far as he could see. There had been no chakra manipulation or any genjutsu laid on the boy to make him act unnaturally, or against his will. Neji had detected a strange chakra block though, but it was so warped that he was too unskilled to read it. Then again, Naruto had never had normal chakra flow.

"So, you've returned to Konoha?" Neji asked softly.

The smile faded. "Can't remember? Exiled." He offered a brittle grin. "Besides, they wouldn't want me back. Especially now."

"What's changed?

Naruto held up a hand, a heavy ring adorning one finger clumsily. "I'm a member of the Akatsuki now."

Neji calmly drew four kunai from his pouch. "I'll take you back with me."

"To interrogate me?" Naruto grinned cheekily. "C'mon now. You're not the forceful type, Neji-kun. And I won't go back to Konoha."

Something about the way Naruto's features had drawn themselves into a humorless smile made Neji falter. The voice was still as bantering and playful as he remembered, but the underlying tone was more stolid. Something that had changed Naruto inside kept him resolute. Neji nodded once and re-holstered his blades. This Naruto was not to be moved.

The blonde plopped down on the roof of the cabin. "Join me Neji?"

The ANBU silently leapt the distance between them, but remained standing where he was. "Why are you back?"

"Why? Not happy to see me?" A teasing grin.

Neji didn't reply.

Naruto sighed. "The Akatsuki need something from Konoha. They were going to steal it, but um…knowing how very unsubtle the Akatsuki can be, I convinced them to ask first."

Neji raised a skeptical brow. How could the blonde possibly influence the Akatsuki, his captors.

"Don't give me that skeptical look! I don't have to see it to know that it's there. I can _feel_ it from here, jeez." Naruto muttered something under his breath. "Besides I'm not completely unimportant to them. If it'll benefit them, they'll listen to me." He added softly.

He took a deep breath. "Right now, they can't let me go. And the reason I'm here, is to help them bargain. I don't actually have to be _inside_ Konoha, though. My presence here is enough, don't you think?" He turned his blindfolded eyes toward the Hyuuga.

Neji had to nod. It made sense. To Konoha, Naruto was potentially the greatest bargaining chip the Akatsuki possessed. After all, Fire Country had a Hokage who would stop at nothing to get him back. He sat down. The blonde had certainly matured since last they had met. Naruto was still a buoyant and carefree personality, but he seemed more subdued than before, weighed down. That was to be expected. Who knew what he had suffered at the hands of the Akatsuki.

"So, finally accepted me as the real Naruto and that I mean no harm?" He asked with a vulpine grin.

"Hn."

Naruto leaned over and rested his head on Neji's shoulder. "Good to hear."

A surreptitious sniff of the air, and Neji was alert. "What is it?" He asked the blonde.

"I don't know." Naruto replied confused, sniffing. That scent was kind of familiar…

A shirtless, black-haired teen burst from the brush.

"Naruto?" He asked, his black eyes wide.

The blonde sat up, stiff. A tanned hand reached out, curling around Neji's pale wrist.

Sasuke took a step forward. Naruto was here? Had he been here the whole time? Why would the others lie to him. Then he noted the Hyuuga who was regarding him with icy white eyes. "Hyuuga." He snarled.

"Uchiha." Neji replied.

Naruto sat up straighter. "Uchiha?" He asked.

"Sasuke." Neji corrected, linking Naruto's attentiveness with fear for the elder Akatsuki member.

Blindfolded eyes were turned toward his companion. "Who?"

The leaf nins stilled.

-:- -:- -:-

Tsunade returned to see Deidara spinning lazily about in her chair, Shikamaru and Chouji on either side of him. He leapt to his feet when he spotted her irate form.

"Hokage-sama!" He beamed happily. "Just the woman I was looking for!" The grin melded into a more serious smirk. He bowed low. "We have come on behalf of the Akatsuki to make a formal request of Konohagakure."

"We." Tsunade raised a brow, aware that though they had come in a group, only one member was presented before her.

The door behind her open. "We." Sasori added, followed by his own entourage of guards. "Hokage-sama, we beseech you a favor to the Akatsuki." He requested with a side-ways smile.

Tsunade managed to refrain from gaping.

-:- -:- -:-

Naruto was running. Always running. He hadn't run before. Sasuke couldn't understand it. In his mind, his dreams, he had always been faced with the back of that orange jersey, that obscenely bright jumpsuit the blonde had been so fond of. In his nightmares, the orange jumpsuit would disappear from his reach, his vision, and he couldn't find it again. At first, he had been annoyed. Was _Naruto_, the famed _dobe _of their class out-stripping _him_? He was the _Uchiha_, the genius. It wasn't possible. Later, he learned that the feeling had been fear. He was losing Naruto in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine.

Now, he was faced with the back of the blonde once again, only this time, Naruto was running away from him. Why? He didn't understand. What was wrong with him? He was…Sasuke was…weren't they still friends?

Naruto had _promised_. And Sasuke _remembered_.

Sasuke remembered the pain of that last awakening. He had been broken and battered on the cold ground of the forest floor, completely alone. Not even the forest creatures had intruded into his desolate solitude. He had closed his eyes believing that he would die there. He had lost too much blood. His bones had been shattered. His flesh had been torn open and raw. Some gaping wounds had been cut all the way to the bone. His eyes had shut slowly in defeat that lonely night. He had regretted only one thing. He hadn't been able to see Naruto again, and the blonde would not have been able to complete his promise. Somehow, that hurt more than his wounds.

When his eyes slid open again, he had found himself, hastily bandaged, and being carried on the back of a vibrant orange jumpsuit. If he could have summoned the strength, he would have smiled. Instead, he pressed his ear against the back, listening to the steady thump of the blonde's heart reverberating through his ribcage. He laid his head against the other boy. Naruto had grown strong. But he was still the blonde Sasuke remembered. It had been Sasuke who had changed, had become weak. He could feel Naruto's warmth and pressed his cheek against it. He closed his eyes, contented. Naruto would keep his promise.

Sasuke's mind snapped back to the present. Dammit, Naruto was _fast_. He couldn't remember the dobe ever being so quick. How could he possibly be so fast when blindfolded like that. He was hard pressed just keeping up with the blonde, no matter catching up. Still, his sharp eyes tracked the tail end of the flapping brown cloak. It was all he could focus on besides the bright crown of sunshine locks that darted away from him with such speed. He didn't like it. Something had to be wrong with Naruto. How could he not remember him?

How could he forget Sasuke? He remembered Neji! But not him? Why? What was wrong? Why would he forget?

"_Who?"_

"_Sasuke." Neji repeated, studying the blonde closely for reaction. There was no recognition. Instead, Naruto moved closer to Neji._

"_I don't know a 'Sasuke'." The blonde said slowly._

_Impatient, Sasuke leapt to the roof. "Naruto! You know me! Uchiha Sasuke!"_

_Somehow, it made the blonde curl up further from him._

"_I don't know you." Naruto replied quietly._

"_Leave." Neji commanded the Uchiha, eyes narrowed. Something was deeply troubling the blonde. Neji could feel him tremble through his grasp._

_Sasuke's voice softened. "Naruto…" He frowned, then slowly he reached out. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Touch to blonde? Assure himself that Naruto was here, was real? Either way, both he and the Hyuuga were startled by how the blonde responded._

_Naruto screamed as if the proximity of the Uchiha burned. Then he took off running, bolting off in a random direction. Without thinking it through, Sasuke had followed, leaving behind an angry Neji, who was already on his feet and ready to leap after them. He didn't know what stayed the Hyuuga, but that was furthest from his mind in his pursuit of the cloaked blonde._

Desperate, the dark-haired nin quickened his pace. He would exhaust himself, but his mind wouldn't listen to reason and only pushed his body harder. Naruto _had_ to remember! He just couldn't forget!

His feet pounded at the ground, increasing in tempo, they raced through the treetops, the darker clothed figure slowly gaining on the fleeing blonde.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried out. His hand snaked outward, latching onto the edge of the fluttering brown cloak. He pulled hard, jerking the blonde toward him, heedless of their lack of balance. The pair tumbled to the ground, Naruto tightly ensconced in Sasuke's arms.

Ignoring the sudden pain in his body and his burning lungs, he glared sharply at the other boy. His body was sore, and he was sure he'd have bruises tomorrow, but it mattered little to him. What counted now was the smaller boy that still refused to raise his head to him. "Naruto," Sasuke bit out sharply. "What's going on." He demanded, his voice tight, betraying how much it pained him that Naruto had changed so drastically. Was this all his fault?

_Yes_.

The cloaked boy sat rigid for a moment before disentangling himself the moment Sasuke's grasp slackened. "I don't know you!" He replied loudly, scuttling backwards. He resembled a cornered animal, crouching on his hands and feet. Naruto's eyes shielded by the blindfold, Sasuke could only imagine the panicked look in his eyes.

Irritated at himself more than the blameless blonde, Sasuke shot forward and tore the blindfold from Naruto's eyes. If only Naruto could see him, maybe then he'd remember! There was no way Naruto could forget him! He stared down at the frightened boy and stopped dead.

Violently crimson eyes stared back at him. They were unlike any shade of red he'd ever seen before on the blonde's face. Not even the intense fiery gaze of the trapped Kyuubi within him could have compared, for from the center of each crimson iris spun the dark pinwheels of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Naruto peered up at his assailant with wide eyes for a split second before his mouth opened and he released an earsplitting scream.

Sasuke wheeled backwards in shock before hurriedly collecting himself. He stepped quickly toward the terrified blonde, his first instinct to somehow try to calm the boy down. If anything, the blonde was only growing more agitated the closer the Uchiha drew, his unholy crimson eyes fixed on Sasuke's own pair of dark colored orbs.

The scream changed pitch, rising higher into a piercing shriek. Sasuke had to clap his hands over his ears, feeling as though any second now blood would be dripping from his shattered eardrums. How on earth could a human possibly make such a noise?

Then the sound began to taper off into a low wail. Naruto had curled up, his form tight and rigid. His eyes open impossibly wide and his lips parted slightly, keening softly.

Sasuke reached out. Oh god what had happened to him? He pleaded silently for Naruto to be alright. Maybe if he got Naruto back to the hospital, Tsunade-sama was sure to know what to do. He had no clue what was going on. Those evil red orbs weren't Naruto's eyes. He had no idea what Naruto saw through them, but it couldn't be right. Nothing was all right. He just hoped that Naruto was alright, that he could be healed. He inwardly, desperately, begged whatever deity that lived, whatever gods above them existed, that Naruto would be okay. How could the brave blonde he knew be reduced to this whinnying shell?

_They're only the outward signs of what you, yourself have done to him_.

Sasuke beat down the self-deprecating voice within him. Now was not the time to wallow in his deserving guilt. He would help Naruto first, then accept whatever punishment the blonde saw fit to inflict upon him. He knew he deserved it. Just…Naruto needed help now.

He reached out with one tentative hand and his fingertips had barely brushed the tips of Naruto's golden spikes when his wrist was enclosed in viselike grip.

"I wouldn't do that." A chilly voice said beside his ear.

Sasuke was on the move instantly. His wrist twisted, rotating the bones of his wrist in such a fashion that his assailant couldn't keep as tight a grip, and with muscles honed from Orochimaru's agonizing training, he tore himself from the strong grip by sheer force alone. Feet carried him quickly, bounding several meters away. He glared at his opponent, eyes narrowing. His chakra levels increased rapidly, eyes glowing until three pinwheels were spinning madly in his scarlet irises.

He picked out the straw hat and cloud-patterned black cloak distinctive of the Akatsuki, but the identity of the man eluded him. He sensed nothing from the other, not a trace of chakra, recognizable or otherwise. Adrenaline pumped through him. He hadn't felt the approach of the other man, worse yet, he couldn't sense the man's presence _now_, even as he stood before him.

His gaze flicked wildly from the man to Naruto. He knew he shouldn't take his eyes off so dangerous an opponent, but he couldn't stifle his worry for Naruto. However, as his gaze switched back to Naruto, he found another form hunched over the curled blonde. The newcomer was swathed in draping red cloth, shrouding his form, and any visible traits from view. A pale hand extended from one of its voluminous folds, carefully brushing over Naruto's blonde spikes. The boy calmed slightly.

"He's having one of his fits." A low voice reported flatly. "We should move him from the source of his anxiety." The stoic suggestion more than hinted at ill-concealed dislike for the young Uchiha.

"Hn." The Akatsuki member grunted in reply. "They should be in already. We'll meet them at the Hokage's office."

The thin looking person nodded, gathering the shivering form of Naruto in his arms. He stood, shooting a dark glance toward Sasuke that the young Uchiha could barely make out within the low hanging cowl. For a moment Sasuke felt the fiery tongues of hatred lashing out at him, heated flames licking at his body, burning his flesh. Then it was gone, dispersed so quickly it left a vacuum of absence in its wake. A surprised gasp escaped his lips, his body's reaction unavoidable. He trembled at the violence of that emotion, and the shock on his body that it had left behind.

The three had long since disappeared into the woods when Sasuke's frozen body finally allowed him movement. He collapsed to his knees, falling flat onto his palms, panting. There was a person who truly and completely hated him, and he had no idea who it was.

-:- -:- -:-

The ninja of Konoha were recollected within the Leaf's walls once more, two additional members among them. The Akatsuki members were regarded with no small amount of suspicion, but that was to be expected. It had been the Akatsuki, after all, that had tried to bring about the ruin of Konohagakure for their own reasons.

However, in the meantime, the two members sat in relative ease. Sasori with his perpetual warped smirk on his face as he lounged in the chair of the meeting room. Deidara, sat slumped backward, his lips spread in a mocking grin as he sprawled himself across the chair he sat in. Shinobi and ANBU surrounded the room. Within the center sat Tsunade and Jiraiya. Beside were stood the ninja who had been with the Akatsuki members.

"Your request?" Tsunade began.

"Oh!" Deidara sat up. "We…have to wait." He sat back down again. "Can't do anything until boss gets here. Funny though, he's usually so very anally punctual."

Twin puffs of smoke appeared in the room. Two figures emerged from smoke, an Akatsuki and the form in red cloth. Crimson eyes, promising pain, settled on Deidara for a moment before focusing on the Hokage.

She nodded to the others in the room. The shinobi filed outward, leaving the room to guard the surroundings. Those left within were Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Akatsuki members.

"Hokage-sama." The soft rich voice filled the room, silencing the soft murmurs of the others. The Akatsuki removed his hat.

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "Itachi." Her eyes shifted to the red clothed figure. Her eyes asking the silent question. _If you're Itachi, is that…?_

Instead of replying, the figure withdrew his hood to reveal a shock of vibrant, crimson hair. It fell in a shaggy mess, all color and spikes, in every direction. She couldn't make out the face, or even the eyes of the person. The red figure regarded the others silently.

"Hokage-sama." Itachi began. "Akatsuki requests the sealed scroll of the Yondaime." He said simply. "It is in Konoha's best interest to comply."

Tsunade regarded him with a wary look.

"It is not so much a threat, as a promise." Itachi clarified. "But it does not come from the Akatsuki."

"What does it mean?" Tsunade asked evenly.

At this, Itachi conceded the floor to Sasori. "The Akatsuki had previously entertained a member who was not so cautious." The puppeteer continued leaning forward slightly. "We made a mistake. The member was driven by obsession against Konoha, as he was a former member of Stone Country bearing a grudge. He deemed that Konoha drew its power from the jinchuuriki, based on the death of the Fourth in the great battle with the Nine-Tails.

"He proceeded to construct a youma for himself, to become a jinchuuriki. The ninja had been a brilliant shinobi of Stone, if not completely mad. He, along with aid from the Akatsuki's vast libraries of powerful jutsus, was able to construct a some what, miniature youma two years ago. However, it spiraled out of control, sucking the chakra from it's creator to fuel itself. It rampaged across other countries, taking the form it was designed after. It will soon become a fully fledged youma. We need the scroll to seal it and destroy it." Sasori explained.

Tsunade sat back. That was a lot to absorb. It was true, she had heard of strange attacks that had been happening across the countryside over the past two years. They had been sparse and varied, but had increased slightly over time. If that was the case…

"If it is just a youma, why go through all the trouble of securing the Yondaime's scroll? Why not destroy it? I have difficulty in believing that the Akatsuki is insufficient in strength."

"Strength is not the issue." Itachi replied. "The Akatsuki lacks numbers. All the youma previously had been taken down with armies, but the Nine-Tails was defeated by one lone man, though it cost him his life. We have the strength, but not the knowledge to consolidate the strength into a working force against the youma."

Tsunade sat back. It required a lot of pride to admit what the Akatsuki had just done. It seemed that they were honest in this endeavor. They had pride. They cleaned up their own messes. She had to respect that. But what of the red figure. He unnerved her. She didn't understand his purpose. And until she understood fully the reasons of the Akatsuki coming here, she would relent them nothing. They were still, very much so, an avid and powerful threat to Konoha.

The red clad man tilted his head to the side and snickered. "Baby girl can't figure it out yet?" The voice was surprisingly deep for the thin frame.

Itachi shot him a glare. The red man merely grinned, pale lips pulling upward to reveal rows of razor sharp ivory fangs. It was a humorless, predatory grin.

It was then that Tsunade noticed, berating herself for not seeing it earlier. "Your eyes." As scarlet as they were, they lacked the distinctive pinwheels of the Uchiha bloodline limit. They seemed brighter, the pupils tight slits in the center of each burning iris, a strange difference in the aristocratic ninja's features.

"Bonds had to be formed." Itachi intoned flatly.

"Occular exchange?" Tsunade questioned, her curiosity flaring.

"Three-way." The red man added, smirking.

Tsunade's eyes flicked about the room. Sasori, who seemed a puppet in himself, would not have been part of the exchange. Deidara was missing an eye, but his remaining one seemed to be his own. She then remembered Jiraiya's words. Five Akatsuki members had left the compound. One was missing. "You seem to have a absentee among your ranks." She noted.

"He is unwell." The red man stated stiffly, bristling at her.

"Regardless, as a sign of trust, I would much prefer it if all of your party were present." Tsunade pushed.

The red man growled. Itachi held a hand to silence him. "It is not our laws which keep him from here, but yours." The Uchiha replied coolly. "For now, we will abide by Konoha's laws, until we come to an understanding. We have made our request. Until you choose to honor our wishes, or until you have come to a decision of your own, we will remain nearby. The Hyuuga will know where we can be found." Itachi gripped the red clad man's arm tightly in one hand and disappeared.

Sasori and Deidara, smirking from their seats, vanished in identical puffs of smoke.

Tsunade sighed, hanging her head in defeated realization. They had brought Naruto and dangled him like the lure he was. Konoha would comply with Akatsuki's wishes. She looked over toward her friend who had been silent during the entire ordeal.

"They're playing with us for now." Jiraiya said slowly. "But they meant what they said. They want to stop the youma with Arashi's scroll. They're being unusually polite. And I've got a bad feeling about this."

The medic nin nodded. "We should speak with Hyuuga Neji. It seems they've designated him as their contact." She shook her head. "But I don't get it. After all they go through all the trouble to obtain Naruto, why come back now? After two years of silence?" She eyed her contemplating friend.

He hesitated a moment. "I think that they needed Naruto. But after getting him, he wasn't enough. They need the scroll. I think this entire time, they've been warding off the youma, and because of that Stone ninja, everything has been fixated onto Konoha. Nevertheless, I believe that Naruto is the fifth member."

"But what of Kisame? Itachi's partner? No Akatsuki member goes unpaired." Tsunade pointed out.

"That's what I can't figure out. I saw only five leave the compound that day. I'm sure of it." He frowned. "What about the other Uchiha, Sasuke?"

"He'll be confined to quarters. His situation has changed, but not for the better. And he still awaits his trial." She sighed, rubbing at her temples. "You think Naruto really came back? Or is it wishful thinking on your part?" She asked, knowing that her friend felt no small amount of guilt for leaving during that critical time.

"I believe he's here." Jiraiya said honestly. But he didn't add his worry of what condition Naruto might have been brought back in. Kami only knew what the Akatsuki really wanted from Naruto since, in the end, he had been the only jinchuuriki taken in to keep.

-:- -:- -:-

Neji paused before the Hokage's office. He knew what he had been summoned for, yet he didn't feel like speaking of it yet. He wanted to return to the Hyuuga compound and think. He shifted his weight and turned to face Gaara.

The Kazekage had silently approached the Hyuuga, his face blank, but his posture stiff. Gaara of the Sand wanted answers.

"He's here." Neji said quietly. "But something's wrong with his memories. He does not remember Uchiha Sasuke."

Gaara nodded, as if he wasn't surprised by the news, and left.

White eyes followed him. Neji still had yet to learn about the time Naruto had spent in Sunagakure. He intended to learn of it before meeting Naruto again, but at the moment this was more important. For whatever reason, Uchiha Itachi had chosen him to be his messenger boy. Neji refrained from frowning. Itachi had known that the Hyuuga would not refuse, simply for the fact that it was for Naruto. He would do it to get closer to Naruto.

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke had been retrieved easily and was silently returned to Konoha under guard by the ANBU. He said nothing and did nothing, submitting completely to the masked ninja. They returned him to the hospital and locked down the room under a powerful genjutsu.

Sasuke stared at the ground with blank eyes.

Kakashi had been moved to another room until his chakra regenerated. Despite the deed the copy-nin had committed, few were willing to punish him. There was something much weightier on everyone's mind.

-:- -:- -:-

A pale clawed hand brushed blonde locks. Naruto whimpered, curling tighter within himself. The man growled softly and Naruto stilled. He recognized the sound. "Mama?" He said softly.

The red clad man laughed. "Quiet little one. You are safe here, so do not leave. They will return shortly, as will I." He bent slightly, nudging Naruto with his nose and licking his cheek. "Quiet." He repeated, gazing at the boy for a moment before leaping out of the cabin window.

He was at the Hokage's office in an instant. The woman was inside, brooding alone. He smirked. He had anticipated as much. The white haired man had left long ago, presumably to drink himself into a stupor. It concerned him little. He needed to speak to the woman. He slid through her senses effortlessly, entering the room and appearing before her before she even focused on his chakra.

Tsunade managed to steel her face from the immediate dislike of the red man who grinned at her beneath shadowed bangs. "You do not strike me as a typical member of the Akatsuki." She said evenly.

"I do not belong to them." He hissed.

"Are you working with them to fight the youma?" She asked calmly.

"That is not my concern." He replied easily. "But you do concern me." He tilted his head. "You are the daughter of the first Hokage. Companion to the mentor of the Fourth. And you are a foster parent to the son of the Yondaime. You concern me."

Tsunade raised a brow. "You seem to care only about those around Naruto."

Ivory fangs glimmered in the night, the only visible feature of the stranger. "He is my only concern. He is my kitling. My pup. His welfare is my concern."

Tsunade stared hard at the red man. His choice of words was…disturbing.

"Have you not yet figured it out? I am he who dwelled within the belly of a child for fifteen years. I am what the child would have become had there not been interference." The man all but sang.

Tsunade took a breath. "You are the demon fox?"

The man laughed. "I am what remains of Kyuubi, all contained within this mortal shell. My lust for the blood of your kind dampened by the spirit of the child your village so reviled. Even if he cannot, I hate this village, the ungrateful people and the ninjas who sealed me." He said venomously. "Ah, but do not take this body lightly. As a creature forged from hatred and chakra, I still contain more power than any _human_."

"You speak of humans so poorly, yet you protect Naruto?" The Hokage questioned.

"Naruto is _mine_." Kyuubi hissed, fangs bared. "I will do what it takes to ensure his well-being."

"Why? Wouldn't you hate your container?" Tsunade asked.

"I wished to devour him." Kyuubi replied, bloodlust lacing his voice. "Living through the eyes of a human did nothing to change my opinion of you low-ranked beasts. You're all disgusting and deserved to be torn apart, your hot blood running through my claws and down my throat. But I never hated the boy. He treated me unlike the beast that I was, acting as if I were human. Heh, the arrogant pup.

"When he was captured, the Akatsuki extrapolated me from him, but I changed. With that weakening seal, I became a closer part of him, and as I was separated, a piece of him came with me. It is _his_ love of this village which stops me from ravaging it to the ground and consume the living. It made me more _human_." He frowned.

"But first and foremost, I was a youma. The pup is mine to protect and to do so, I bound myself within the confines of the Akatsuki for the pup had already been irreparably changed. It is for my pup that I am here."

"What is it that you want, then?" Tsunade stared at the man.

"The scroll, for now." He replied simply.

"How is that I know that you are not lying?" Tsunade demanded. The Akatsuki may be powerful, and they had created a youma of their own, but to survive the separation of a youma from a jinchuuriki was hard to believe. For Gaara, it had taken the death of a legendary ninja to bring him back. The Akatsuki were not altruistic enough to have performed such a self-sacrificing jutsu.

It was even more difficult for the medic nin to accept that the youma could be given such a body and live like a human. However, if what he had said was true, there were more dangerous jutsus within the Akatsuki's hands than she had ever anticipated.

The man laughed. "I do not lie like you foolish humans. But if it's proof that you want…" He leaned forward, brushing back his crimson bangs with a pale hand. "These eyes never lie."

The blood drained from Tsunade's face as she stared into clear blue eyes reflecting her face back to her. They were the pure sky blue eyes unique to only one family. Naruto's eyes.

-:- -:- -:-

Three Akatsuki members had gathered within Naruto's cabin. Powerful jutsus laced the area. Anyone would be a fool to try to enter their tight security.

Disgust flickered in Itachi's eyes at the walls covered in Sasuke's name. He was mildly surprised that his more volatile companion had not burned the papers off. Nevertheless, he maneuvered his sleeping burden in his lap until the blonde was comfortable, and silently stared at the others, waiting for their reports.

"He's not ready." Sasori stated flatly. "In my battle against Shuukaku's jinchuuriki, his connection to the Hyuuga boy broke my control. The Aburame's insects found me easily after that. He called out for that Hyuuga through his bunshin. He's too attached."

Deidara shook his head. "That bunshin had to play you and be under your control. Even after his training, he still broke your jutsu? Wouldn't that prove that he's strong enough? Our links can't hold him forever."

"They're not supposed to." A silky voice cut in. "That _chain_ will only hold him until he breaks it. Isn't that what you're after? The power he will obtain when he breaks your links?" The red man all but purred.

Sasori's face became impassive.

Deidara frowned. "It won't break anytime soon, youma."

Kyuubi smirked. "Soon enough, ningen." He flexed his claws glaring at the explosives user. Hatred burned in his eyes. They chained his pup, but soon, those chains would shatter.

"Enough." Itachi placed one hand on the blonde's head, his scarlet eyes glowing. "We will get what we need from him. For now, he will rest, and we will proceed. It is enough for now. Just get the scroll." He said softly, his voice taking on a dangerous note.

"The scroll will be delivered in the morning." Kyuubi cut in.

Itachi glared at him.

"I had a chat with the female who rules the village. She will comply." The fox replied confidently.

"Then, until morning. You are dismissed." Itachi stated flatly.

Sasori and Deidara nodded once and left the room.

Kyuubi stood up slow and languid, his lithe body flowing like water, chakra pouring from him. He met Itachi's silent challenge. "He will not be chained forever. Sooner than you think, he _will_ be free." He hissed. "A fox is no one's pet."

Itachi's slitted eyes narrowed, but his lips remained unmoving.

Kyuubi gave a fanged grin. "You _do_ understand. Well then, I see no problem for now." He turned, ready to leave the room when he paused. "But, if your…little brother gets in my way again, I won't be held responsible if I decide to decorate Konoha in his skin and blood and devour his organs. He is not to be anywhere near Naruto." Kyuubi said stonily as he departed.

"That is one rule I hold myself." Itachi commented quietly.

-:- -:- -:-

"_Hey Gaara, do you ever think sometimes, that if you had the chance, you'd forget about all the pain in your life?" The blonde boy asked idly._

_Gaara turned to face his companion. Naruto's face was upturned toward the moon, his legs swinging freely from the pillar. The boy's stance was completely at ease, but the question was a serious one._

"_No." He replied stoically. "I see no point."_

_Naruto chuckled. "Sounds like something you'd say. But, let's pretend that one day, someone came up to you and said 'I can take away all your pain and suffering, and I ask only one thing in return,' would you do it?"_

"_What would the condition be?"_

"_Secret!" Naruto grinned._

"_No." Gaara replied impassively._

_Naruto pouted. "You're no fun!"_

"_I would need to know all the terms of a contract before I made a decision." The red head explained softly._

"_Fine! Uh…let's see. Um…say that you'd have to follow the person on their mission until they were done, no matter how long it would be, but you don't know the mission. Only that it'll be dangerous." Naruto added._

_Gaara's head tilted fractionally. "The answer would remain 'no'."_

"_Why?"_

_Gaara stared at the boy. "The price of my pain is not worth the price of others' pain."_

_It took a moment for the blonde to process it, but in the end he grinned. He threw his arms around the Kazekage, snuggling into the other boy's shirt. "That's what I thought you'd say." He said happily. "You really have grown a lot, Gaara. I'm glad we're friends."_

_Sand curled around the both of them, protecting them from Suna's nightly gales. "Me too." He said quietly._

_End Chapter Three_

-:- -:- -:-

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-:- -:- -:-

Shrimpy: Yes, I am aware that this chapter is extraordinarily late. It's only the third chapter and we've already deviated from our summary and our schedule. But it couldn't be helped. As I've said before, this was an experiment. We do have lives outside of fanfiction, sad as it is to say. I've been ill and Fry is getting eaten alive by her midterms. As such, I took pity and tried to beta this myself. So if it's littered with errors, it's because I have the editing capability of a walnut. That said, I hope it wasn't too confusing as new and important elements have been added. True to Fry's wishes, I tried to write more substance than filler. That is also another reason this took so long. Your reviews are encouraging and I love them. Some were quite amusing. It makes me feel as if I have a living calendar. Anyways, this is late, but I can't apologize for my life.

Last thing, I can no longer remain on a schedule. My pathetic attempt at trying on a schedule has ended. This will be updated whenever I can. Long chapters are difficult to write, and these are stuffed with drama. I've also gotten a lot of hopes and suggestions for this as a SasuNaru fic. I was trying to avoid it, but it looks like I got sucked in. Either way, I plan on fluffing Naruto with anyone I can.

Craploads more of plot should be revealed in the next chapter as, while re-reading this, I realized I made references to certain things which cannot be fully explained yet. So just go with it. Thanks for those with the patience to wait for this stuff. I love ya!

Night now, Shrimpy needs her sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Shrimpy: So, it was entirely my fault that this chapter took so long. Fry doesn't trust me anymore and makes me back up everything onto her hdd. Honestly though, I only ACCIDENTALLY, and I'd like to point out that it was completely not on purpose, reformatted my laptop on which I kept all my writings, without backing them up. Seriously, it was no big deal. It only had a few months worth of work, and we can REWRITE! Provided that I didn't become a total lazy bum, which would never happen…

So yeah… Sorry about that.

Anyways, thanks to Fry for her awesome beta-ing anyways, and I'd like to point out, that since we had to patch this chapter together from bits and pieces from all over, it was also beta'd in bits and pieces. So, if it doesn't exactly mesh right, we might be missing a scene somewhere, or I was too lazy to rewrite it again.

This is a lot rougher than we'd like, but I figure, this chapter has taken long enough, right?

Er…yeah.

Onto the title which has nothing to do with anything.

(Big smile)

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**Chapter Four: In the Light of Compassion**

"_Never." The blonde hissed between clenched teeth. His blue eyes glared upward, glowing insolently in the pseudo-light._

_The answering smirk was mocking. Crimson eyes stared down at him with false benevolence. "You should consider the offer." He said softly._

_Cerulean eyes burned. "I've already agreed to all your demands! I'm here, aren't I? I'll do whatever it is you need me for, even if it kills me! But I refuse to forget! You can't make me!" The chains tinkled as the boy struggled, pulling the slack taut. His wrists were tightly shackled behind his back, the short leash of the chains keeping him on his knees, not allowing for him to stand nor sit. Yet he still glared up at the taller ninja, fury coursing through him._

_The dark-clad shinobi kneeled down, meeting the fuming blue gaze with his on even stare. "It would be easier on you, Naruto." He said slowly, raising a hand to the blonde's chin. His tone was soft, almost kind._

_Naruto jerked his chin from Itachi's grasp. "I don't care! You are _not_ messing with my memories!" He glared, baring fanged teeth at his captor._

_Itachi stood, blood-red eyes still trained on the blonde's blue orbs. "We shall see."_

-:- -:- -:-

"You have to eat." A low voice chided. A bowl was pushed forward. The sound of ceramic scraping against wood was almost unbearably loud in the bare room.

"I'm not hungry." The blonde replied, head turned away.

A low growl made him flinch, blindfolded eyes turning back to face the bowl. "Eat." The deep voice intoned commandingly. Kyuubi never was one for patience, especially when he was worried.

Naruto simply pulled his brown cloak tighter around his too thin form. Kyuubi's aggressiveness would hardly distress him, no matter how much of a threat the youma-made-human could be. "I can't." He said quietly.

A softly growl escaped from the redhead's throat. "It's this country, isn't it. You don't like it here."

Naruto's head lowered. He said nothing.

Kyuubi scooted closer, settling close enough to the boy to rest his chin on the top of soft blonde spikes.

"We will leave soon. There isn't much that they have that we need. But for now, kit, you must eat." He said softly.

He bent his head to growl soothingly into his kit's ear. It didn't matter what Konoha could offer him. They no longer had anything Naruto needed. His kit must have sensed it. The blonde had developed a terrible aversion to the village and its inhabitants, no matter how well he had masked it.

Naruto could remember them to an extent. But the damage had been done. It was irreparable what the Akatsuki had done to him. Yet to the Kyuubi, it was for the best. Naruto did not need Konoha, all he needed was _them_.

He placed his chin on the blonde's shoulder. "Eat." He said softly, his lips brushing against the boy's neck. "Then sleep. And do not worry. I shall not leave your side."

Naruto could feel the motion of the foxes lips against him, and fancied that more than once he had felt the tips of Kyuubi's fangs on his skin. Kyuubi had always been there for him, ever since he had awoken. Kyuubi would never hurt him, he knew this. So he never feared the beast, even if the beast had bared his fangs at him. He somehow understood that Kyuubi lived _for_ him, no matter what the fox had committed in his past life.

"Okay, mama." Naruto uncurled slowly, his hands slowly peeping out from the edges of the cloak. Thin fingers wrapped about the bowl, bringing it to his lips in one long motion. He sipped slightly at the broth, the salty soup tinged with something red and coppery. It was a familiar flavor that the blonde had become too accustomed to, too quickly.

Beside him, blue eyes watched as he swallowed every drop.

-:- -:- -:-

Itachi was the one to greet him at the doorstep of Naruto's old cabin. He stood, a still statue of darkened marble against the worn dark wood around him. At his approach, he merely held out a hand, awaiting the delivery of the scroll.

Neji stood before him, guardless and alone. The large scroll was strapped to his back. His white eyes narrowed at the missing-nin's assertiveness.

"I want to see him." He said, breaking the silence of the forest.

"He does not wish to be disturbed." Itachi's quiet voice rang out, soft and velvety, and too smooth to be anything but deadly.

"Let me speak with him first, then you will receive the scroll." Neji pressed.

Scarlet eyes narrowed slightly. "This was not a part of the arrangements. We have kept our side of the bargain, adhering to the laws of Konoha throughout. If you cannot obey the same laws, what example will you set for others?" The even tone was mocking and sarcastic, even if the pale face of the Uchiha betrayed no expression.

His extended hand remained unmoving.

Neji met the Uchiha's intense slitted gaze. A moment of wonder passed through his mind. What did the predatory eyes of the beast show him? What could he see through them? Clarity returned.

Neji, in truth, had nothing with which to bargain. The Akatsuki had come, peacefully, on Naruto's request alone. For whatever reason, they had followed so, and had acted as exemplary ninjas. With the scroll safely in their hands, they would most likely disappear once more, taking Naruto with them. He could not let this chance pass him by.

It was something which had worried Tsunade as she had handed him the scroll. He had read her anxiety easily, and had found it odd since the Hokage was not one to reveal such weaknesses. But he had taken the scroll, and the task, silently. He needed to figure out what had happened to Naruto to have changed his memories, what manipulation they were using, and how to break it.

The day Naruto had fled from Sasuke, he had never once felt so much terror from the blonde. It was pure, unmitigated fear. But why would the Akatsuki choose _Sasuke_ to be such a trigger? Was Sasuke that important to Naruto so as to make him leave the village? He hoped not.

"It doesn't matter what the village thinks. He is welcome within it's walls as long as his friends draw breath. You're keeping him away from the village." White eyes narrowed.

Something unreadable, yet wholly dangerous flashed behind Itachi's predatory eyes. "You truly believe that, do you?" He snorted. "How like a Hyuuga."

Neji's lips tightened.

"The scroll." Itachi's hand was still outstretched.

The large scroll thumped heavily on the ground from where Neji had swung it angrily around his shoulder. It wasn't like him to be left feeling helpless, but for whatever reason, the Akatsuki seemed to be holding all the cards in a stacked deck.

"Careful now, that scroll is much more delicate than you think." A smooth voice issued from behind the door which Itachi stood in front of.

The Akatsuki member did not so much a blink, but surprise could be read in his posture.

The red clad figure slipped easily from the shadow of the doorway. Before Neji could so much as blink, the figure was in front of him, a clawed hand resting atop the pale hand on the scroll.

All the muscles in Neji's body tensed. A single bead of cold sweat slithered down from his temple.

That…creature before him radiated such an awesome aura. It was thick and icy, clogging his throat and freezing his lungs. Yet his heart burned, that chilling aura causing hot blood to course through his veins. Clear blue eyes met his pale ones, and he knew he had lost.

The scroll was taken from his unresisting fingers.

So close, and Neji could do nothing but watch as that red cloaked man walked gingerly back toward the cabin. Within the shadows cast by the walls, the deep smooth voice reverberated.

"You have three days."

Three days to visit Naruto? Was that all the time they were granting them until they left?

Neji drew a slow breath. Compared to that display of predatory aura, Itachi seemed almost placid in contrast. Still, something shifted in that crimson gaze which reeked of displeasure. He turned his back on the Hyuuga and disappeared into the cabin.

Neji clenched his jaw. He was being dismissed as if he were some lower servant. Rank, status, bloodline, none of it mattered to the Akatsuki. Only power mattered. And apparently, he didn't have enough to warrant any sort of threat, judging by that behavior. It irritated him.

Did they think that Konoha would simply allow them to hold onto Naruto as they had done for the past two years? Things had changed since then.

Either way, come three days, the Akatsuki would be leaving without the leaf-born blonde.

-:- -:- -:-

Itachi re-entered the hut, searching for the diminutive blonde.

He found Naruto sleeping in his room, Kyuubi perched on the windowsill overlooking the bed. One clawed hand rested atop the giant scroll propped up against the wall.

"Why?" The Uchiha demanded softly. Only Kyuubi knew Naruto's mental state better than he, and that fox knew what the presence of Konoha ninjas did to him. So why was that youma giving Konoha three days?

The sooner they left, the better.

Slowly, brilliant blue eyes turned toward the Uchiha. Something swirled deep within those cerulean depths, a fury so unfathomable it was unnatural in such innocent eyes. Hatred reflected back toward the missing-nin.

"It is so that Konoha will lose all hope of ever attaining what they had forsaken." Kyuubi hissed, his voice low, and deep, and seething.

-:- -:- -:-

_How long had it been?_

The question echoed in Sasuke's mind. It was one that he had yet to ask anyone for he had not realized that so much time had already passed.

To him, it was just yesterday that he laid in the forest, abandoned by all but one.

He lay on his back, arms at his sides, staring up at a blank ceiling.

His arms and legs remained unbound, but the silhouette of bars shadowed his room. Various seals had been placed on different points of his body to not only hinder his use of chakra, but to completely deny him access to it.

He could not perform even the simplest of jutsu's, and in his chakraless form, he suddenly realized how empty he felt. That familiar warmth that swam in his veins, using different channels than blood, yet remaining the steady stream of energy that was a shinobi's power, was gone.

He felt cold.

But that could also be attributed to the feeling of loneliness.

He had never felt so alone before.

Even when he had lost his family and had finished his term at the Ninja Academy as a youth, he trudged forward brushing off the separation he felt from others. He isolated himself from everyone, focusing on a single goal. He had been brought to the brink of death with the shinobi's ideal before his eyes. He had even dived headfirst, plunging blindly after his brother and following after a serpent who whispered such dark promises into his ear. Yet he had never felt as isolated as he did now.

He had given up everything he had held dear to him.

It was a type of solitude that resembled abandonment. He hated that feeling. He shouldn't have needed anyone. He was Uchiha Sasuke. He had lived so many years by himself, never wanting nor needing any other person than himself. He had strengthened his body and mind by himself. He had concentrated on a single goal with hardly a thought of the consequences or the afterwards.

Then some loudmouthed, blonde dobe had waltzed into his life and changed everything. His goal in life, affection for others, even the person he thought about the most, had all been augmented by some shorty in a blinding orange jumpsuit. And what bothered him the most was that he wouldn't have had it any other way.

The fire that had blazed for vengeance within him had burned out. He never thought that the hole left behind would have been filled with regret.

Vengeance was a path meant to be taken without regrets. But he hadn't been strong enough, and had sacrificed someone else in his stead.

That blonde…had looked out for him until the very end. So why had so much changed? It had only been three years, hadn't it?

No.

He hadn't gotten a very good glimpse of the village, but Konoha had looked to be almost completely rebuilt, and some parts more than once. After the barrage of Akatsuki attacks, they had needed time to regroup and rebuild. More than three years had passed. Especially since said attacks were halted only after he had been traded.

Which meant he had to have been in that coma for a few years at least.

Naruto had been in the hands of the Akatsuki for a few years…

He covered his face with his hands.

What had happened to his dobe?

-:- -:- -:-

Neji stepped quickly from the Hokage's office after informing the blonde woman of the Akatsuki's acceptance of the scroll, as well as the time constraint placed on them. He had glossed over the details pertaining to Itachi and the Kyuubi, sticking with only the straight facts.

It unnerved him how Naruto's clear blue eyes could peer out of a face so foreign and strange. They were Naruto's eyes, but the emotions they conveyed were anything but pure.

_Wide eyes peered at the sheer amount of blood._

_What…had happened? Surely the Akatsuki hadn't reached the cabin so fast. Their attacks had focused solely on Konohagakure. What was this mess?_

_He leapt gingerly from branch to branch, instinctively sensing the smell of blood. He noted the paths of broken brush and hurried footprints with no small amount of fury._

_The Akatsuki hadn't done this. They would have been neater and cleaner, leaving behind no trace of themselves. The tracks left behind was messy and unskilled. No person with ninja training would ever have left behind such clumsy, heavy tracks._

_This was done by civilians._

_Anger burned within him then. The stupid fools. Too stubborn and pig-headed to understand. The ninjas were the one who braved the front lines to protect the village and their citizens while civilians sat at home, far from battle, and unaware of the blood the shinobi shed, nor the strain they suffered. They were the sheltered people the ninja's were supposed to protect. But it wasn't a one-sided relationship. In turn, the villagers were to show the ninjas proper respect, for it was thanks to them that the villagers could live peaceful lives._

_It was in that aspect that the villagers of Konoha failed one of their strongest shinobi. They did not understand Naruto's true role or his true strength._

_It infuriated him that much more when he finally entered the blonde's cabin._

_The inside was cold and unlit. The stench of blood was overpowering. Furniture lay broken on the floor. Windows were shattered, shards of glass strewn about. Curtains had been ripped down, and angry colors stained the walls._

_Blood was everywhere. He felt his shoes slide as he slowly walked through the cabin. Fury coursed through him for being too late._

_He had seen Naruto during the battle, but only for short moments. The blonde had disappeared as soon as it was over. He had never once set foot inside Konoha's walls though, choosing to remain outside as a defensive force against the few members of the Akatsuki who had come. _

_They had always traveled in pairs, and as Neji had watched Naruto attempt to fend off one of the cloaked shinobi, his Byakugan had actively searched out the other. The one Akatsuki, a blonde pony-tailed member seemed engrossed in toying with the whiskered ninja rather than a serious battle._

_More often than not, the Akatsuki released figures of clay toward Naruto, which exploded around him in close proximity, but not enough to seriously hurt the fox's vessel. Naruto had sensed the playful attitude as well, and with a cry, had rushed forward, propelled by the explosions behind him, and thrown a palm-full of whirlwind chakra toward his opponent, upping the game._

_With the two blondes engaged in a more heated battle, Neji had finally sensed the presence of the other member, and hunched shadow scaling the walls of Konoha. He had gone to intercept, seeing other ninjas appear as well, before another cloud-pattered cloak appeared within his range._

_There were two pairs this time, the battle becoming only more serious._

_He left Naruto, hoping to return to the blonde's side once the battle had finished._

_They always had wounds to tend to after each encounter with the Akatsuki, and knowing the loud-mouthed blonde as well as he did, Naruto would no doubt let his wounds go untreated._

_He had hurried back, but it hadn't been fast enough. The signs were obvious. A handful of civilians, no doubt armed with homemade weapons had invaded Naruto's home soon after the blonde had returned, and when he would be at his weakest._

_With their poor reasoning, they had placed all of the blame of Konoha's current state on him, despite the fact that many other civilians had done close to nothing the help matters._

_When he had found the blonde, a muscle in his jaw tensed. As always, Naruto was unwilling to involve civilians in battle, even if they were the ones to instigate it. So he had done nothing as they attacked. The younger boy was a mess. Clothes torn and blood splattered everywhere. It dribbled down the walls as larger spatters had reached the ceiling._

_Neji bent, checking over Naruto's swollen face and body for signs of trauma and internal injuries. Besides a few broken ribs and deep lacerations, there seemed to be little damage. The burns and bruises inflicted by the Akatsuki paled in comparison to the beating Konoha civilians had given him, and it sickened Neji to realize that._

_He hastily bandaged the blonde and searched for a room untouched by the gore. Naruto's was a small cabin, so there was little more he could do than to move a rug out of the way from the middle of the room, and lay down thick cloths he had found in the closet. He placed Naruto on that and proceeded to clean his numerous other wounds._

_He covered the blonde's body with more cloth, and awaited the boy's awakening, wondering the entire time how common villagers could have found the genjutsu-hidden cabin._

Neji's eyes snapped open, hardly remembering that he had closed them. He found himself standing outside the complex which Sasuke had been imprisoned. His ANBU status had gotten him through most of security, so no one had stopped him as he had approached.

He glared at the building. What was he doing there? He had nothing left to say to the dark-haired nin, and he certainly hoped that the Uchiha would not learn that the Akatsuki had granted "visitation rights" to Konoha for the blonde.

To have so much control of a village through one person may have made Konoha seem weakly. But when it compared to that power of influence that one person possessed, it was far from the truth. Naruto could change the way any person thought through his will alone. It was just too bad that the stupid or the purposefully ignorant chose to ignore Naruto's gift.

He shifted his weight from his heels to the balls of his feet and leapt backwards, intending to make his way toward the Hyuuga compound, but a flash of red halted him. The familiar silhouette of a short ninja, dwarfed by an enormous gourd, made its way through the forest.

Knowing what kind of animosity the redhead from the sand held for Sasuke, he was surprised to see the Kazekage heading toward the Uchiha's cell. Guards warily halted the redhead, knowing of the sand nin's status and reputation. However, the sand nin simply produced a slip of a paper, a kind of tag the Hokage had given him, and the guards let him through. The sigh of relief from the guards did not go unnoticed by either Neji nor Gaara.

Neji smirked, and followed after the Kazekage.

-:- -:- -:-

Iruka was up, his hands grasping firmly at Kakashi's shoulders. "We can see him!" He exclaimed excitedly. "We can see him!" He all but shook the bed-ridden jounin.

Kakashi gave a lazy blink. He was still recovering from his improvised chakra exchange, and it had drained him more than he was willing to admit. Despite the nurses' protests, he had tried to get up and leave the hospital several times, only stopping when Shizune herself had stormed in and threatened him with a pain worse than castration. The poor medic-nin was up to her ears in stubborn and disagreeable shinobi. Many having tried to clamber from their beds before their wounds had even begun to heal after that brief 'Akatsuki attack.' More than not the injuries had come from that blast of unprecedented chakra, one that the Hokage had yet to explain.

Many of the bed-ridden shinobi had chakra burns from exposure, or worse, their own chakra had been sent off-kilter by the blast. A few Hyuuga's had been called in to help correct their chakra pathways.

In the meantime, Kakashi was attempting to deal with an overly exuberant Chuunin without revealing how truly out of it he was. It had taken him precious moments to figure out what the other man was so happily raving about, when he would have normally processed it before the chuunin had even burst through his door.

With a strong and gentle grip, he eased the chuunin's hands from his shoulders and pushed him back to arms' length before he settled himself comfortably, or as much so as he could, into his hospital bed.

"When?" He asked simply, his lips curving into an easy smile.

"Ah…" Then Iruka fell into incoherent babbles. "Um…well, as soon as possible. But I don't want to surprise him. It's been two years. I don't know how he is, how he's been. There's so much to catch up on." Then his head was bent, hand behind his head, eyes lowered, and cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"I suppose I'm troubling you, Hatake-san," he began formally.

Knowing the apology that was to follow, Kakashi held up a hand. He wondered if the younger man realized how unnerving it was to him to be addressed like his father. "Not at all. I'll be up and about soon, anyways."

"Ah!" The blush darkened. "That's not what I meant. You need to rest and-"

"-you're looking for someone to visit him with." Kakashi interrupted. He shifted on his bed, experimentally feeling his limbs. He'd be pushing it if he'd said he was fully recovered. His arms felt like lead weights, and he highly doubted that his legs could support his weight.

It was embarrassing, really.

But then again, as Shizune had politely informed him, before Tsunade could bite his head off doing such a stupid thing, he had blown away over half his chakra and the pathways had been shot to smithereens. His body was trying to rework the routes themselves, and as many medic nins were treating the less stupid shinobi, he was left to wait for his own healing process to complete on its own, under supervision of course.

Still, it was better than what could have happened. His body could have been smashed to bits had Tsunade actually taken her anger out on him. He had speed-healed a missing-nin yet to go on trial, using a jutsu meant for destruction, not restoration, and rendered himself useless in an event he would have been valuable in.

Yet he understood how nervous the other man was. Iruka had looked on Naruto like a surrogate son, if not a younger brother of sorts. Then, catastrophe had struck, and Iruka had no idea how to cope. With the boy's sudden return, even if he was different, the Umino simply sought some sort of comfort, even if the presence came from another of the boy's teachers.

Particularly a teacher that he thought made his students take unnecessary risks.

Kakashi didn't once think that Iruka had ever forgiven him for pushing the kids into the Chuunin exams. He didn't blame the other man. Even if their skills and mentality had advanced due to the experience, the results of the exam were not what anyone could have expected.

So, he flexed a leg and smiled, his laid-back grin falling into place like any mask. "Tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock on the bridge." He said.

Iruka nodded, almost fervently. His mind was obviously elsewhere. He left with a respectful bow and a word of gratitude.

Only once the chuunin was far from the hospital did Kakashi's expression fade. He didn't pity Iruka, but he felt sorry for how the man must be suffering for his mistakes. No one could ever have thought the village would let it get so far, or that the council could have become so desperate that Hokage would lose her protective hold over the boy.

Iruka's mind was preoccupied on the boy's well-being _currently_. He hadn't allowed it to meander back to what the boy might have experienced under the Akatsuki's command, nor what he would have thought during it. Tomorrow, he'd face the fact that Naruto had grown up without him, and it was time to see what kind of man he was becoming.

-:- -:- -:-

Long pale fingers were threading themselves through soft locks, so much silkier and fluffier than they first appeared. It was like stroking sunshine, and he couldn't help but marvel at their color and texture as it flowed through his fingers. Naruto's head was resting comfortably in his lap, the boy's body curled in his sleep.

Blue eyes remained trained on that rounded face. It still bore the appearance of youth, but invisible lines of experience had drawn themselves into his body, woven deep into powerful limbs and wiry muscles. Even if he still looked like a child, the way he moved and spoke, the way he replied and considered, even breathing and eating, it all spoke of instinctual deliberation on survival and strength.

This was a body that none could take by surprise, and one day, it would tear the world asunder with its might. He just needed to feed him correctly.

That _artificial youma_ would do the trick nicely.

But first…

His hand slid from the boy's hair to his neck, stroking the soft flesh there. Imbuing a small amount of his fiery chakra, intricate patterns began to snake out from under his fingertips. A series of thirteen complex seals painted themselves against pale flesh in languid strokes, spreading from the neck down his chest and back, across his shoulders, and even curling onto his sleeping face. The mark of the Akatsuki, the collar and chain they used to bind his kit.

A clawed hand slid down his shirt, tracing his spine and absently traced a particular seal just to the right.

"This one will be the first to fade." He murmured.

Before him, Itachi materialized from the darkness, peering at that particular seal. "Deidara's?" He questioned, a brief moment of puzzlement as to why it would not be Kisame's seal.

"They are too similar." Kyuubi added by way of explanation. "He will destroy what is closest to him first." He looked up, glowing sapphires meeting predatory scarlet. "Your seal will most likely be last. It will be a lucky thing if you survive it." He hissed, baring fangs in a mockery of a grin, his expression anything but benevolent. A soft growl from his throat seemed to ensure that even if the seal was broken leaving the Uchiha unscathed, Kyuubi wouldn't allow him to remain so.

Fine-boned fingers closed over the clawed hand resting over the seals, effectively stopping the gentle flow of chakra. The seals faded from sight.

"When it comes to it." He said quietly, as if uncaring of his life. But his eyes burned brightly, assuring the fox that if he would have to combat the fire youma in the end, he would not allow it to be an easy battle.

Kyuubi chuckled lowly. He tilted his head slightly, inclining it toward the over-sized scroll leaning against the wall. "It contains nothing that we don't already know. I believe that it's true secrets can only be obtained by my little one." He stroked Naruto's head gently, smiling to himself at the way the Uchiha unconsciously tensed at his possessive tone.

Wordlessly, the dark cloaked ninja made his way across the room. He took the large scroll between his hands and began to unroll it, scarlet eyes traveling up and down the columns of complex kanji. With such a short ninja, the overly large scroll looked almost comical.

Kyuubi grinned again, knowing what the Uchiha would read; poetic nonsense and drivel about ramen. It hadn't taken long for Itachi to wind the scroll back up, with an almost impatient twist of his wrists. Since the Fourth had sealed it at his child's birth, none other than Naruto himself had ever read the scroll. It was impossible to guess what it truly contained, when it was so heavily protected. With only a piece of Naruto within the fox, some of the kanji had transformed before his eyes, revealing a sort of story. But he couldn't get beyond the beginning. Somehow, he believed that it was Naruto's will, if it so matched that of the Fourth's, that would unlock the scroll in it's entirety. Kyuubi was simply too bloodthirsty for the scroll to talk to him.

He was willing to bet that it would seem like even less to the Uchiha, who possessed no part of the Uzumaki, and could be even crueler than himself.

The story it had shown Kyuubi was the one of himself and Konoha. He found it laughable.

When his little kit awoke, he would place the boy's hands on the scroll, and answer at long last the questions that had plagued him about the fallen Hokage.

Mercy was a thing rarely granted in the world of shinobi. For the Yondaime to consciously choose not to kill him was unfathomable. It merely showed him to be a fool. But in doing so, the Fourth had also chosen to sacrifice his newborn son, a trade hardly worth the cost. The Yondaime had to have some assurance about his child, even if it was blind faith, to so warp a soul-consuming jutsu to not kill.

He wanted to know what the Fourth had used to barter his soul with, for two souls were required in the Shinigami's summon.

-:- -:- -:-

Deidara was bored. The cabin was far too tense an atmosphere for him to remain sane in. With that testosterone pissing contest that the two powerhouses, Itachi and Kyuubi, had gotten themselves embroiled in, he decided that the further away he was from them, the better.

He holed himself up in the forest, sitting on a tree branch with his back to the trunk. One leg hung lazily over the edge. His hands were busy rolling a ball of clay. Every once in a while his fingers would sink into the clay, and the ball would be encompassed by his palms as his dexterous appendages shaped the ball into an intricate shape. He had just finished a flapping bird when he sensed another presence.

He sent his little bird whizzing toward it, and wasn't surprised to see it cut down before it exploded.

"Oi!" He called, leaping down from his branch to meet the other. "You're no fun if you do that. Even destruction is an art to, you know." He commented, miffed by his partner's lack of artistic appreciation. He looked down at his sliced bird. "Waste of good clay." He muttered, bending down to retrieve the pieces and brushing off the dried leaves and dust. He waved a hand over it, and the clay returned to it's original spherical shape, clean and devoid of dirt.

His partner ambled out between the trees, his form low and crouching, almost crawling along the ground like an enormous spider. Sasori was using his old-man suit again.

Deidara shook his head. It wasn't like it mattered at this point. The leaf-nins had already seen his face. But Sasori only took this form when there was nothing threateningly near their own level of power. So, the blonde surmised that the puppeteer must have been bored as well. There was nothing interesting to do in the surrounding forests of Konoha. It was too peaceful, even with the underlying current of tension.

Going to town would have been a bore, with the villagers all silent and glaring. It wasn't a surprise that the Akatsuki weren't welcome faces in Konoha.

Deidara shrugged it off. The Konoha people were simply too soft. The Country of Leaf had been spoiled by their peace, and they had paid for it.

"Do you feel it?" The soft and raspy voice which issued from the aged Sasori sounded like scratching of dried leaves over the ground. Already familiar with both the smooth youthful voice, and the current guise, Deidara merely shrugged, instead of shivering like many were prone to do.

"Depends." He replied flippantly, looking more concerned with his ball of clay. He pressed it between his fingers again, and the clay began to take on flame-like shape.

Beady eyes that were sunken into a beaklike face stared hard at the blonde. Deidara sighed and rolled one shoulder in an irritated gesture. "You mean that like _twang_ in the air?" He asked after a moment.

He could almost _hear_ the creak in the well oiled neck of the scorpion-shaped puppet as Sasori nodded once.

"So?" Deidara questioned, not taking his gaze off the clay. He was re-rolling it back into it's ball shape, his hands still calm, but moving a bit faster than before, a sure sign of rare annoyance, since he was usually the one being annoying.

Slowly, the body shifted, lifting and standing a bit taller. "I overheard that fox talking." He began quietly. "He said that your seal would be the first to fade."

Deidara didn't look up from his rolling. His fingers paused and prodded at the clay, shaping it again. "Oh?" He asked, his voice quiet but tense.

"He said that the order of the breaks will based on the personality of the seal-caster." The rasping voice explained.

"Hn. Then why not Hidan's seal?" Deidara asked, his tone petulant, eyes trained on his clay.

"Probably because you do not thirst for blood like that religion-monger." Sasori replied.

At that answer, Deidara's eye glittered. "That will change." He muttered, smirking to himself. With a sigh and a stretch, his clay disappeared into the folds of his cloak, and he leapt up back to his previous position on the tree. "I've been keeping an eye on our favorite jinchuuriki, you know." His legs swung over the side as he stared down at his partner. He knew that speaking from above was one of the quirks that annoyed the puppet-wielder, because it then required the man to adjust himself to view the speaking persons. So he made sure to do it often, sometimes even from his perch on his floating paper birds.

Sasori's body clicked softly as the well made gears shifted so he now looked up at his partner. Though the sculpted face was unreadable, Deidara could sense the annoyance in that flat gaze.

"Frankly, with how the little leaf-boy's been changing, I don't think I'll have to face that power first. I think he's got more in common with the _other_ leaf-nin." He grinned. "He's beginning to develop a taste for blood."

-:- -:- -:-

Green eyes peered impassively at the dark shadow across the room. Sand snaked around metal bindings and up the metal bars. The cold steel bent easily beneath the strength of the chakra infused sand.

Neji started, almost taking a step forward. What the hell did Gaara think he was doing? Even if he now bore the title of the Kazekage, there was no doubt that this one sole action would cause internal and external strife for both Hidden Villages involved. Tsunade was hardly one to take such actions sitting.

"I know." Gaara murmured, his tone answering the mental questions of both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, but giving no explanation. "Tomorrow, after the sun has set, at Uzumaki's cabin." He stated emotionlessly toward Sasuke. They would simply meet at Naruto's cabin at the appointed time. If they were to go together, Neji was sure that there was something about Naruto that none of them could handle by themselves. He wondered what the Kazekage wanted.

Then Gaara turned to Neji. "Undo the restraints." He said quietly.

White eyes narrowed. Kazekage or not, Gaara was hardly a person to order him a around. Yet as the sand slipped into the lock around the bars, he said nothing, only listening to the slither of the sand grains. The lock protested only once, a low metal whine, before bursting.

Something flashed in those pupil-less green eyes, something animalistic and raw, and all together inhuman. With a jolt of realization, Neji understood that it was not _Gaara_ who had commanded him, but _Shuukaku_. And that was something different entirely. A youma was not a force he could undertake himself.

Somewhat reluctantly, he stepped forward as the sand wound about the bars, the door already loose on its hinges, but looking for something to destroy anyways. He briefly wondered what in the world the ANBU guards were doing out front with all the commotion within. Certainly they should have felt that spike of chakra in such close proximity. And as this was one of the higher-security sectors, something like an increase of chakra would never go unnoticed, no matter how small the fluctuation.

Still, something akin to fear moved his hand. He opened the now unlocked door and slipped into the cell. Blank black eyes met his, and he found it easy to believe that those eyes were as unfeeling as they appeared, that the body behind those eyes possessed no soul. He frowned, the corners of his lips pulling downwards in the barest of motions.

"Don't move." Neji muttered, and secretly hoped that the Uchiha would be indignant and stubborn, and move so that his fingers would miss and hit something more critical, more damaging.

The Hyuuga initiated his bloodline limit, throwing the Uchiha's body into his now chakra-precise vision. He could see the blocks, wire-thin cinches around his main chakra channels, and a distortion around the gates. Instead of his chakra funneling in select areas to be used, it flowed out of his body uselessly. A very well made seal, but it wasn't something he couldn't undo with a bit of effort.

His focused eyes narrowed on the cinches. If he undid those first, his chakra channels would literally explode from the build up behind them, something like a hose left unchecked on full power.

He'd have to remove the distortion at the gates, but that was the difficult part. He didn't recognize it at all. It wasn't a chakra blocker, as he could see chakra flow into it. But, there was no outlet, it looked as if it were absorbing the chakra. Hesitantly, he called up a bit of his own chakra and jabbed sharply at the point. With a hint of satisfaction, he noticed the Uchiha elicited a slight hiss of pain. The distortion swelled slightly at the foreignness of his chakra. With a bit of provocation, he could easily overwhelm the distortion but…

He smirked. "This will hurt." He murmured.

-:- -:- -:-

Iruka was nervous and jumpy, and though he didn't outwardly show it by bouncing on the balls of his feet or wringing his hands, the air about him was wire-taut and tense and almost visible in his anxiety. At least, that was Kakashi's first impression on seeing the Chuunin waiting for him at the bridge.

The man had no doubt risen at the crack of dawn and plodded over to the bridge, early, to wait for the perpetually late Jounin despite his reputation. Scratch that, Kakashi eyed the Chuunin, taking in the look of a quick shower and freshly pressed clothes, but lack of that refreshed look after sleep.

He doubted that Iruka had slept at all and had probably gone home for only a shower and a change of clothes. It was the standard ninja garb; chuunin vest, black pants, and sandals, with the typical skin tight underclothes. So very…standard. The only thing that set it apart from every other set of uniform garb was the worn look. The clothes had been well taken care of, but his sharp eyes could easily pick out the slightly frayed edges and the signs of skilled stitching where the uniform had been torn and repaired.

It was old and fraying, and the seams had been re-stitched a few times. There was a large slash down the back of the vest that was impossible to conceal, and left a sort of scar on the fabric. Basically, it was something that should have been thrown away years ago, and Kakashi wondered what had possessed the clear-headed, if not overly emotional sometimes, Chuunin to wear that outfit on this particular day. But he didn't outwardly question it, instead opting for his traditional greeting.

With one hand in a pocket, and another raised in a wave he grinned. "Yo."

Iruka had been staring at the water so hard, his eyes almost completely shut, and his mind drifting far away and racing back, trying to find a peaceful medium in his fear and panic and hope, that when that one word came to him, he jumped and all but screamed. Iruka spun around hard, hands at his holsters with the rings of two kunai at his fingertips. His body landed low and crouched and his muscles were pulled taut in an instinctual reaction that had been pounded into him for years--to go on the defensive until the situation could be analyzed and an offensive position could be taken.

Mechanically, his body moved and when Kakashi stood, hand still frozen in greeting, he stared a bit longer before he realized what he was doing. He straightened quickly, the kunai slipping back into the holster, his hands falling to his sides. "Uh…good morning." He replied belatedly, the beginnings of a blush working its way up his cheeks.

He looked down and raised a finger to scratch his nose in his habitual nervous gesture, unable to look up and meet the Jounin's gaze.

Kakashi, in turn raised a hand to the back of his head, stifling his laughter. "Sorry I'm late. A family of tanuki's had taken residence in my closet so I had to go out and buy new clothes and the morning crush was unbelievable," he grinned.

He grimaced inwardly. In truth, the Hokage wasn't exactly too keen on letting him go visit Naruto just yet, at least before she got her shot. But just as she was preparing to go down herself, a team of ANBU had rushed in with a report that could not be ignored. And though she had put Kakashi under supervision, he had escaped as soon as the opportunity had presented itself. Injured and chakra-weary or not, he had been the Silver Wolf.

"Oh, was it?" Iruka replied distractedly. His brows knit and his concerned expression told Kakashi all he needed to know about how his attempt at normalcy had failed.

Kakashi gave a shrug and a tilt of his head and Iruka looked up and nodded. It was time to head to the cabin.

-:- -:- -:-

Naruto awoke to the feeling of long delicate fingers threading their way through his hair. It was a familiar gesture that he awoke to often when Kyuubi had something important for him to do. Though his eyes were hidden by the blindfold, the fox had felt his heartbeat increase and the slight change in rhythm of his kit's breathing. When the blonde shifted lightly, he grinned.

"Wake up, little one." He murmured softly.

Naruto uttered a little noise as he stretched. His muscles, coiled even in sleep, lengthened as he moved, stretching out arms and back, and finally his legs. He curled up again on the bed, his head resting on the lap of his guardian. "Mama?" He called out softly.

Some what pityingly, the Kyuubi brushed his clawed hands through blonde locks. The child, never growing up with any sort of parental care, could not distinguish between the different types of affection he received. To the boy, he was 'motherly,' ever since he had fallen into Akatsuki hands. Though, the fox admitted to himself, that was his own fault.

With a broken mind, the body's consciousness often receded back to the earliest time of comfort. Naruto had regressed to an almost infantile state with his memories scattered and a mindset that was far from stable. He only kept two things steady in his mind, focal points for everything else, it was the fox itself and the elder Uchiha.

Kyuubi bent down to nuzzle the blonde, his nose buried in golden locks. "Time to get up. You have visitors."

He felt the young body stiffen slightly.

"Mama?" He called out again, questioning and tinged with a note of panic.

"Don't worry. It won't be for long." He stroked his kit's head, claws dragging slightly downward toward the neck and back. "Do you not want to see them?" He asked, somewhat amused and curious.

Naruto paused. "I…do…" He straightened, nodding. "I do. I want to see them." He said, softly, but more confidently than before.

"All right then." He patted the soft blonde head. "They'll be here soon. You can feel it, yes?"

Naruto nodded. That familiar chakra, two signatures he knew rather well. The tiniest sliver of worry threaded its way into his chest. He had missed Iruka-sensei.

One small hand reached out to clutch at red cloth. Kyuubi marveled at it for a moment. Such power and ability flowed through such a fragile looking hand. He smiled. The Akatsuki had created a beast that they would soon lose control of, he just needed a meal.

But that artificial youma was a far away thing. It was coming. Kyuubi could feel those faint tendrils, chaotic and disorganized, some distance away. That creature, the false Kyuubi had rampaged far from the Akatsuki compound, in the opposite direction of the Fire Village. But it would soon be heading toward them, if only to come back to the source after which it was structured.

With hardly a coherent mind of its own, nothing but raw instinct and just a hair below sentient, the creature would seek him out. One that was stronger and of its kind, it would search for him and be invariably drawn to the power of the original. Then, Kyuubi would loose his own kit upon it, and the shinobi world would meet the pinnacle of their creation. The perfect ninja; power, stealth, agility, and unlimited chakra housed within one being, and loyal only to him.

He ran his claws once more through that soft golden hair. "Come now, we must get you ready." Gently, he lead his kit up with his other hand and eased him toward the outer room.

-:- -:- -:-

Sasuke was hunched over as he perched on the outer walls of Konoha. There was no point in concealing his form. No one could see him anyway. Whatever that Hyuuga had done to him, it had made him invisible to those who did not wish to see him. He was quite surprised to find that many higher ranking shinobi had such a wish, for he had been able to slip past them with ease.

The ability was quite temporary, but it had allowed him to escape Konoha without difficulty. He was supposed to meet the Kazekage and Hyuuga after dark, but he paid that little heed.

Neji had given him an extremely brief summary of current events, but only after Gaara's sand have begun to wind about everything and everyone, heedlessly. It was more than a bit disconcerting. For whatever reason, Gaara had wanted him to be well-informed, even if no one knew Gaara's, or Shuukaku's, reasoning behind it.

He would see Naruto with or without anyone's consent. He didn't care. Something had happened to that perpetually cheerful blonde to blot out his brilliance. Sasuke refused to believe that the blame rested solely on his own shoulders.

With the mark of the Akatsuki continuously shadowing Naruto, he knew that it was something to do with Itachi.

It was always Itachi who took away what was dearest to him. Always.

He crouched low against the wall before slipping off, disappearing into the shadows with all the grace of a predator on the hunt.

-:- -:- -:-

Nervousness and trepidation were feelings that shinobi learned to block out at an early age, or at least, should learn to block out. Apparently, no one told the young teacher of the ninja academy that.

Kakashi watched, somewhat amused, as the Chuunin all but bounced on the balls of his feet, shifting slightly from one to the other, as he tried to come to a decision.

The moment had finally happened, Iruka was going to visit Naruto!

All he had to do was knock on the door, and with a shaking fist, he did so.

Or almost did so for the door opened just as he moved his wrist to knock. Naruto, looking very small in his brown cloak that draped to the floor, beamed up at him.

Iruka gasped. It had been the first time he had seen Naruto in nearly three years. The boy was shorter than he should have been, and thin, very thin. Time with the Akatsuki had aged him in how he spoke and greeted them, even how he held himself. What had startled Iruka the most though, was the blindfold. He had heard with bated breath first and second person accounts of Naruto. But the people who had come across him most directly had said nothing but how he was back, and yet different.

Then Naruto grinned.

It was a very familiar grin and Iruka almost released a sigh of relief. He had hoped and prayed that Naruto would not be too damaged from his experience with the Akatsuki. He would never forgive himself if it had. As it figured, he was still trying to figure out ways to make it up to Naruto, all the time he hadn't been there for him.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried out brightly. "I heard you from the forest, Kakashi-sensei too!"

Kakashi wondered why Naruto had greeted them as teachers. He hadn't recalled the blonde calling him that last he'd seen them, but he didn't dwell on it too long.

Instead, he studied the youth of his former student. Naruto was skinny as a rail, but what remained of him was all muscle, corded and wiry, if what he could see of Naruto's shoulders was anything to go by. If anything else, Naruto was simply a boiled down version of what he had been before. But with the major difference of all the cheerfulness of childhood being burned away to leave a small adult, experienced in the cruelty of the world from both sides.

Naruto had killed.

Kakashi's sharp gaze caught the telltale signs; kunai calluses on the hands, long strong fingers, well muscled forearms, and thick skin on the insides of the fingers on the first joint. That was the proof of someone who killed with their hands. The calluses were from the way one would hold a kunai if they did not aim to cut or stab, but to kill. Fingers and forearms were essential for a strong grip, growing brawnier over time as one grabbed at throats and wrists, strangling and crushing. The skin on the insides of the fingers could only have been made by garrote wire, pulled tights between the fingers, a common assassination method.

It made him wonder somewhat if perhaps, the Akatsuki took on shinobi missions for money.

His musings were broken, however, as Naruto, with something akin to disbelief, added "and you're not late either!" With wide eyes and an astonished expression.

Kakashi let out a chuckle. He pointed to Iruka. "I don't think he would have let me." He said cheerfully.

"Uh-un." Naruto agreed, bobbing his head and agreeing whole heartedly. "One time, when I was at the Academy still, I slept in late. Next thing I know, Iruka-sensei is looming over me and yelling!" Naruto waved his arms for effect.

Iruka blushed as Kakashi laughed, and after a few minutes, worked out an invitation to ramen which was eagerly accepted.

Kakashi went along, grinning and joking when appropriate, but couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. He knew he was, but it was so intent that he figured that it didn't come from Akatsuki eyes.

He decided to put it out of mind. Sasuke wouldn't do something too foolish when he was still out of chakra and limited with information. Sasuke was too smart for that. Instead, Kakashi focused on the fact that Naruto seemed so normal. Despite the blindfold and change of clothes, Naruto acted as he had before the Akatsuki attacks.

It wasn't right for things to be going so well, not when the intelligence of the Akatsuki was behind it.

Even with Tsunade's word, the jounin still distrusted the Akatsuki. They were too much like himself, never straightforward with anything.

-:- -:- -:-

Kyuubi bent over his young charge, worried and frowning.

He had been forced to turn away all of Naruto's visitors shortly after he had returned from his visit with that Academy instructor and former team leader. It was a lucky thing that not too many showed up at once, else he wasn't sure what he or Itachi would have done to them. They both became rather edgy whenever Naruto showed signs of ill-health, which was, thankfully, rarely.

Naruto curled up on the floor, every few minutes turning to retch into a bucket that was placed beside him.

Truly, Naruto should have known better.

But now, he stroked the boy's back soothingly as Naruto's body rejected everything he had consumed that day. Kyuubi merely shook his head and brushed back those blonde locks.

When Naruto had given one last shudder and lay on the ground, chest heaving, Kyuubi settled in beside him so they were side-to-side. He wiped at Naruto's face with a damp cloth.

Naruto was curled in on himself, turned away from the bucket.

Kyuubi lifted the boy to lay half on his lap. "I told you that you could not digest human food any longer." He said softly. "What made you think that you could eat those noodles?"

"It made him so happy." Naruto replied after a sniffle.

Kyuubi was silent a moment. Naruto still cared for the teacher, of course he would. Iruka had been the first father or brother figure that Naruto had ever had. But the boy should not have gone through such lengths to please the man. Naruto knew his limits and should have abided by them, instead of suffering to please another.

He had thought that fact had been ingrained into the boy long ago. After all, Itachi had been quite the skilled instructor.

-:- -:- -:-

_Naruto screamed and screamed, blood tricking from his lips as his throat tore. He fell to the floor hard, clutching his head, and writhing._

_Itachi looked on, dispassionate. This was how it always began._

_Suddenly, Naruto's back arched and then he was on all fours, body pulled as tight as a bowstring. Eyes bright with bloodlust and madness, Naruto rushed at him from a crouch. _

_Itachi dodged, sidestepping and turning to keep his eyes on Naruto at all times._

_Even in a frenzy, the blonde ninja was deadly if he got even one chance at Itachi. He had seen those teeth, sharpened to a razors edge, bury themselves into the throats of others. Naruto only tried for the areas that would kill._

_He held a heavy chain between his hands, a sickle and weight at their respective ends. The weapon was held completely still until Naruto moved to attack. One arm arced suddenly. The sickle snaked out, rapping sharply against Naruto's head. The blonde winced and growled, but let out no other indication of pain._

_Blood coursed from the inflicted wound, but just as suddenly as it was made, it welled up and healed._

_It was amazing, the effects of the demon's chakra when it was allowed to run rampant._

_From low to the floor, Naruto glared at him, eyes feral, hungry, and angry. Fury resonated from that small body, holding itself so closely to the ground. _

_Teeth bared and mouth frothing, Naruto leapt again._

_Pity made him hesitate, but once more that sickle cracked loudly against the blonde's bare body, his shirt having fallen to tatters long ago._

_Itachi watched as Naruto crashed to the floor, only to pull himself into a crouch and leap once more._

"_It would have been easier if you had forgotten." He murmured, almost sadly, as the sickle fell unforgivingly against that hard flesh, made tough by ferocity alone._

_This time the blade had slashed his chest open from hip to shoulder, cutting through muscle to bone. Naruto fell down, hunching, one arm covering the wound for only a second. Before Itachi's eyes, the deep laceration scabbed and healed over within moments. It was truly remarkable._

_Naruto made a half-circle around Itachi, eyes burning and yet trained on sickle. At least he was learning, if this mass of instinct and energy could learn. He was to shape this raw power into a tool, if he could, but as long as Naruto fought against them, as long as he still remembered, it was all futile._

_They needed Naruto to trust them wholly and completely if the binding jutsu was to be a success. It mattered not if his mind was broken and his body was shattered. They just needed him to deny his memories. But he would not, clinging stubbornly to them and never giving an inch about it._

_Time would change that. _

_For now, they worked on his body, honing it with lessons that resembled torture._

_The blunt end of the sickle flew forward, striking Naruto on the forehead. Naruto merely growled, and Itachi was privy once more to witness Naruto's startling healing ability._

_With a cry that rebounded off the walls, Naruto surged forward, a single clawed hand finally penetrating Itachi's defenses and slicing his chest. Naruto leapt back just as quickly, a wolfish style of fighting, blood dripping from one digit. He grinned his feral and foxlike grin and licked the blood from his finger._

_Itachi frowned. Bloodlust was so unbecoming of the boy. But as long as he withstood the mind wipe, they could do nothing but train his body. _

_He swung the sickle toward him, watching as Naruto bounded over the blade. He struck out with the weighted end, hitting the blonde square in the gut. He heard the air escape the boy in a rush. He frowned once more. _

_He greatly disliked this task. Even for the merits of training, attacking an opponent who couldn't fight back was meaningless._

_As he watched the chain sail forth, he willed Naruto to trust them. _

_Sasuke wasn't worth remembering._

_End Chapter Four_

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

Fry: Progress is slow with many trips into the inane. Sorry if I missed many mistakes. This is the first time I've seen this chapter all in one piece, and we were both too distracted for a final final check. This chapter was riddled with things that changed as we did different things. At one point, I was reading _The Hobbit_, which added some strange elements to this that it didn't need. Near the end, I must apologize for Shrimpy since we were playing _Guily Gear XX_. She likes to play as Axl Low, hence the chain-sickle, at least this one wasn't double ended. I know, it has nothing at all to do with Itachi. But we never really see him wield a weapon, so it may not be totally OOC...

Mayhaps we play a mite too many games...

Eddie FTW!

As a last note, the two flashbacks take place at different times, so they do not follow one right after another. A few sequences happen in between which will be revealed later.

Thank you for all of your lovely reviews. We love them and thank you for your patience with this endeavor. We've never done a joint before and it's still rather rough. We tend to play more games than actually write or anything.


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